Top 20 Fastest Growing Shrubs to Hide Your Homestead

No matter how well you get along with your neighbors and the people in your community, you probably want some privacy when you’re outside. But on a homestead, especially a big property, putting up a privacy fence can be really expensive. Plus, when you are surrounded by nature that you otherwise enjoy, a fence can definitely spoil the vibe.

A better option is one that has been around pretty much forever: shrubs. Shrubs can form an all-natural privacy screen for your outdoor sitting area or your entire property, adding both beauty and biodiversity.

Check out these 20 fast-growing shrubs that are perfect for any privacy application. We’ll get straight into it below.

Holly

• Growth Habit: tree-like or shrub, depending on species. All have stiff, spiny leaves and rigid branches.
• Average Height: varies considerably. As small as 5 ft or as tall as 50 ft for a tree.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: needs slightly acidic soil that is moist and well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 5 through 9

A beloved and sprawling genus consisting of several hundred trees, shrubs, and even creeping climbers, hollies are evergreens that will maintain their foliage year-round. All will sprout pretty, pale flowers and attractive-looking dark berries.

Don’t eat them—they are toxic. Most holly varieties also have sharp spines on their leaves that serve as an extra deterrent against people trying to peep

Cotoneaster

• Growth Habit: branching, bristly, spreading.
• Average Height: 8 ft, some species grow significantly taller.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: loamy, slightly acidic, damp.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 7

Here’s another plant that can cover a wide area in a very short period of time. That’s because of its intriguing, forking growth habit with stems branching off of the main shoots in an alternating pattern.

Depending on the variety, cotoneaster plants may be evergreen or deciduous, giving you some flexibility in how much winter coverage you desire. In any case, though, don’t eat those tantalizing red berries because they are poisonous.

North Privet

• Growth Habit: upright and very dense.
• Average Height: around 8 ft, some specimens may reach 12 ft or a little beyond in good conditions.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: tolerant of most soil conditions as long as kept moist and well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 8

If you want a truly sturdy privacy hedge, check out North privet.

This semi-evergreen is festooned with broad, waxy emerald green leaves that make a pretty good screen by themselves. But it really takes off when you prune it!

Regular pruning causes North privet to grow faster, thicker, and more densely.

A few trimmings a year are all it takes to jumpstart this amazing growth, and it will typically clear two feet vertically, annually. This shrub is also easy to start in containers if you want to get it going during the winter before transplanting.

Crape Myrtle

• Growth Habit: varies, can grow as a single trunk tree or multi-stemmed shrub.
• Average Height: varies considerably, anywhere from 6 to 20 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: needs full sun and lots of it!
• Soil Requirements: well-drained and slightly acidic is best.
• Growing Zone: 7 through 9

A legendary ornamental, the heavily leaved branches of crape myrtle, combined with the tall, clustering strands of pale pink blooms, are a sight to behold. Different varieties also come in purple, red, or white if you have a different aesthetic preference.

It’s difficult to overstate just how thick a mature crape myrtle is, and this is another shrub that truly works as a solid wall. However, it will drop its foliage in winter, so if you want year-round privacy, a different plant might be a better choice.

There are tons of varieties out there, including dwarf types, so check the specifications carefully before you buy.

Red Twig Dogwood

• Growth Habit: multi-stemmed shrub.
• Average Height: 7½ ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: prefers full sun but can tolerate some shade.
• Soil Requirements: rich, moist, well-draining soil.
• Growing Zone: 2 through 7

Among the deciduous shrubs we’ve looked at, few can compete with the red twig dogwood when it comes to sheer density.

Quick-growing at an average rate of 2 ft per year, the overlapping, layered leaves can block the line of sight with a single branch, and the branches themselves radiate out from a central point.

This awesome privacy plant is only let down by the fact that it will lose all of its foliage come winter.

Mock Orange

• Growth Habit: round, clumping, dense.
• Average Height: 6 ft, can grow beyond.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: fairly rich, prefers loam, clay, or sand. Tolerates slightly alkaline or acidic soil.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 8

Mock orange gets its name from its alluring fragrance: it smells very citrusy! Likewise, the small white blossoms with their custard-yellow inflorescences resemble actual orange blossoms.

The broad, thick leaves make for a great screen, but the pale brown branches aren’t much on their own. This is another shrub that can let you down in the winter if you still desire your privacy during the season.

Mock orange has a bushy growth habit that tends toward a round or dome shape, but it’s easy to encourage it to grow tall and close in a stand with regular pruning and training.

Yew

• Growth Habit: rounded, tubular, or conical depending on variety.
• Average Height: varies greatly, anywhere from 5 to 20 ft or even beyond.
• Sunlight Requirements: varies, full sun to full shade.
• Soil Requirements: most types tolerate different soil conditions. As always, must be well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 7

If you love evergreen hedges, you’ll love yew. Depending on the variety, they can grow quite tall as any typical tree or stay smaller like a woody, thick shrub. Take care with these because all parts of the plant are toxic, and the ruby red berries can be appealing to pets and kids.

This is one of the slower-growing options on our list, with most types averaging a foot to 1½ feet a year, but the fact that yew provides privacy all year round and is quite hardy makes up for it.

Forsythia

• Growth Habit: upright cluster of arcing branches.
• Average Height: anywhere from 6 to 10 ft
• Sunlight Requirements: loves full sun, can tolerate partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: tolerant of soil conditions as long as it’s well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 5 through 8

This fast-growing and brilliantly flowering shrub can clear two feet a year with good care and in the right conditions.

Come springtime, forsythia bursts into dense, brilliant yellow blooms which, combined with the thick branches and wide leaves, form a truly impenetrable wall of privacy. Even after the blooms drop, the foliage that persists will confound looky-loos.

However, this one requires regular pruning, and you’ll only ever keep it crafted into a rough shape. If you like truly ornamental hedges, you might want to look at a different species.

Beauty Bush

• Growth Habit: a uniform spray of arcing branches.
• Average Height: up to 10 ft tall—and wide.
• Sunlight Requirements: prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade.
• Soil Requirements: tolerates almost anything as long as it has a medium pH, slightly acidic or slightly alkaline.
• Growing Zone: grows best in zones 4 through 9

Beauty bush is another plant that lives up to its name. This fast-growing shrub is often compared to a fountain because its graceful, arcing branches radiate out from a center point in a sort of spray.

It is covered with pale white and pink blooms when in season that are fragrant and gorgeous to behold. The thick layers of foliage also contribute to a high privacy rating on our list.

Serviceberry

• Growth Habit: grows as a shrub or small tree with multiple stems.
• Average Height: varies greatly, 6 to 20 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: rich, moist soil that is well-draining. Requires neutral pH.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 9

Serviceberry can be a wonderful choice if you want dappled shade or partial privacy that you can still see through at a distance. It produces flowers first while the branches are still bare in the springtime.

After that, it will sprout drooping clusters of medium green leaves and clumps of red or purple berries. Birds and pollinators love this one if you want to attract some life to your property or garden.

Burning Bush

• Growth Habit: oval and very dense shrub.
• Average Height: 8 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: adaptable to different soils. Slightly alkaline or acidic, but must be well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 8

This is a super popular ornamental well-known for its blazing red fall foliage. No wonder it came by its common name! Even though it is typically planted as a backdrop to a garden or a one-off shrub in yards, there’s no reason you can’t use it as a spectacular privacy hedge.

It grows tall and outward fast, with branches that stretch out a good distance without drooping. The end result is that the mature shrub has a pill shape that can easily close off sightlines.

Irish Juniper

• Growth Habit: tall, cylindrical, branching shrub.
• Average Height: 10 to 12 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun.
• Soil Requirements: sandy or rocky, well-draining soil, slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline pH.
• Growing Zone: 3 through 7

A truly magnificent evergreen with gorgeous blue-green foliage, the branches of the Irish juniper reach towards the sky, forming a truly thick, but plush, wall of needles that are almost impossible to see through.

This is one of the most versatile privacy shrubs on our list, and it can be planted beneath windows to stop people from looking in or planted close together at the perimeter of your property to form a truly awesome hedge.

Highly adaptable, gorgeous, and easy to care for, this one is a winner!

Oakleaf Hydrangea

• Growth Habit: upright, spreads rapidly, very fast growth.
• Average Height: around 6 ft, a little more or less depending on care and conditions.
• Sunlight Requirements: prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade.
• Soil Requirements: well-draining, slightly acidic soil kept moist.
• Growing Zone: 5 through 9

If speedy growth is really what you need out of your hedges, check out oakleaf hydrangea. Best known for its tight bundles of tiny blooms that look like snowballs, given good care and the right conditions, these plants can grow more than 2½ feet every year.

In just a couple of years, you’ll have a shrub that’s nearly as tall as a man, and you can give them an even bigger boost by sticking them in a large container or raised bed.

Take care if you have pets and young children, though: all parts of the plant are toxic if eaten.

Beautyberry

• Growth Habit: herbaceous, loose, and draping.
• Average Height: 4 ft, maximum height is 8 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: very tolerant of poor soil composition and low nutrients as long as it’s well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 6 through 10

This is one shrub that truly lives up to its name. Beautyberry is so named for the singular color of its berry clusters, which grow in tidy ranks all along the length of the branches: they are a pale pinkish-purple color that is truly unique!

The branches of beautyberry are thin with twin, wide leaves spaced at regular intervals. They grow tall, then curve and droop back towards the ground.

It’s low-maintenance but will always tend to have a messy shape. It will give you great privacy and is a beautiful addition to any property, though!

Japanese Andromeda

• Growth Habit: a rounded and thickly growing evergreen.
• Average Height: between 9 and 12 ft
• Sunlight Requirements: prefers partial shade but can tolerate full sun.
• Soil Requirements: acidic and well-draining soil kept moist.
• Growing Zone: 5 through 8

A true showstopper and the perfect hedge for surrounding your garden, back patio, or other outdoor areas, Japanese Andromeda can grow more than 4 ft a year and consists of interlocking, lacy branches covered with soft elliptical leaves.

In the springtime, each branch is covered from top to bottom in thick clusters of bell-shaped, pastel blooms. It is a pollinator magnet, and the whole plant when mature is so thick that it is essentially a solid surface.

Hazelnut

• Growth Habit: multi-stemmed and quick-spreading.
• Average Height: 10 to 15 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: tolerates poor, rough soil as long as it’s kept moist and well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 4 through 9

Before you ask, yes, this is the very same shrub that produces those nuts that are oh-so-delicious when they are roasted. But more to the point, for our purposes, hazelnut makes an awesome privacy hedge. It sends up lots of branches, grows tall, and spreads very quickly.

Some routine, easy trimming will help it fill out with an unbelievably thick covering of serrated leaves. This is one of the very best plants for total privacy.

Arborvitae

• Growth Habit: upright, cone-shaped tree or bush.
• Average Height: smaller varieties average 10 ft, larger ones 30 ft or more.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: adaptable, but soil must be moist and well-draining.
• Growing Zone: 3 through 7. Some varieties 5a through 8

A true classic if you want classy and easily shaped hedges or topiaries. Arborvitae can grow more than 3 ft vertically and horizontally in a year with good care, and their ready availability and adaptability make them the perfect choice for putting in a true row of hedges around the perimeter of your property or a larger structure like a deck.

Make sure you read the specifics of your chosen variety carefully because some tend to grow lower but wider. Still useful, just for different applications!

Lilac

• Growth Habit: multi-stemmed shrub.
• Average Height: 12 ft, some can grow taller!
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun.
• Soil Requirements: alkaline, well-draining soil.
• Growing Zone: 3 through 7

One of the most beloved ornamentals around, if you are in the mood for some delicate, showy blooms and plenty of privacy, don’t sleep on lilac.

Long, clumping spikes of pink or purple flowers form a thick blanket on mature specimens that is impenetrable even if you were standing right next to it, and this is aided by the wide and plentiful heart-shaped leaves.

Lilac is also shockingly easy to care for, and once it is established you won’t have any trouble keeping it alive.

It isn’t the fastest-growing shrub on our list, usually clearing 2 ft a year with good care, but it is an ornamental that can bloom more than once, so that’s something to consider!

Cherry Laurel

• Growth Habit: upright evergreen with sprawling branches.
• Average Height: 10 to 18 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: full sun to partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: tolerant of poor soils. Soil must be kept moist and drain readily.
• Growing Zone: 6 through 9

This fantastically fast grower might be better known to some readers as English Laurel, and it is a super choice for hedges in warmer zones. Each branch has thick, long, and broad glossy leaves, and in the springtime it will sprout upright spires of tiny off-white flowers.

This is one of the fastest-growing choices out there, especially among evergreens: with even a little care, the Cherry Laurel will grow more than 3½ feet a year.

Purple Chokeberry

• Growth Habit: tall, spreading, multi-stemmed.
• Average Height: 6 to 10 ft.
• Sunlight Requirements: prefers full sun but can handle some shade. Mature plants can tolerate partial shade.
• Soil Requirements: loamy, moist, well-draining. Acidic or neutral pH.
• Growing Zone: 3 through 8

If you want birds to visit your yard, this is the shrub you’ve got to plant. It isn’t the very best from a privacy perspective because it is somewhat more sparse than the others on our list, and it will drop its leaves in the fall.

But in return, it is one of the fastest-growing and hardiest out there, capable of spreading and growing 3 ft or more yearly!

Mature specimens still provide excellent, dappled coverage. The huge, black-purple berries are loved by many bird and animal species.