Living Fences
The Best Screening Evergreen Shrubs
Gardens are a sanctuary from our everyday, busy lives; a place to sway in a hammock and enjoy the peace and quiet, or share a cool beverage and conversation with a family member or friend. Fences are typically the first options homeowners think about when it comes to creating privacy in their yards. And, even though fences are an attractive option, they require on-going maintenance that can be expensive in the long term. One of the most cost-effective ways to give your garden greater privacy is by growing green walls. Evergreen shrubs are not just useful, they are also beautiful and require little or no maintenance and are ideal for gardens of all types and sizes. Not only do shrubs provide privacy, but they also offer additional benefits such as, shade, fragrance, cooler summertime temperatures, and an environment for attracting birds and other wildlife to your yard. With so many options available, you can choose the perfect shrub to fit with your garden and create the degree of screening you require. Here are a few of our recommendations for the best screening, evergreen shrubs.
Chindo Viburnum – is a beautiful evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves. Beautiful white flowers appear in spring followed by red berries in fall providing year-round interest in the landscape. Chindo is a fast grower, so it should be placed somewhere that has enough room to accommodate its full growth. Shrub reaches a mature height of 10-15 feet. Pruning should be done after flowering is completed in the spring. Prefers full sun to partial shade. Attracts bees, butterflies and birds.
Waxleaf Ligustrum – this evergreen shrub boast dark green, lustrous foliage with a dense, upright growing habit. Fragrant creamy-white blooms appear in both spring and summer. . Growing quickly during the summer months, Waxleaf Ligustrum will fill in any spot quickly. This tough, drought tolerant shrub works equally well sculpted into topiaries, trained as a small tree or grouped as a flowering hedge. Grows to 8 feet in both height and width, although modest pruning will allow you to shape this plant into any shape you desire. Prefers partial sun to full sun.
Bayberry (Southern Waxmyrtle) – is a large shrub or small tree, often multi-trunked, with gray-green aromatic foliage reminiscent of bayberry candles. Clusters of waxy, bluish gray berries prevail through winter. Wax myrtle makes an effective and attractive tall screen or specimen tree. This heat and drought tolerant evergreen is a fast grower, reaching 15-20 feet at maturity. Prefers full sun or partial shade. Deer resistant.
