Bushes and Shrubs for Privacy Screens

Boxwood

• The classic English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) grows to 6 feet or more, is undemanding and easy to train; it also smells odd. Buxus microphylla, or little leaf boxwood, is the basis for newer "green" boxwoods, some of which tolerate partial shade or full sun. Newer American hybrids lack the odd smell of their English brethren. Boxwood is deer resistant and many varieties are hardy into U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 5. The shrub blooms with inconspicuous white flowers in early spring. Shear boxwood to shape after its flowers fade and keep shears handy for branch growth spurts throughout early summer.

Hollies

• Hollies grow as trees or shrubs; their foliage may be evergreen or deciduous. Choose locally grown evergreen bushy types for best results. Foliage varies from small and smooth -- resembling boxwood -- to the familiar, glossy five-pointed leaves. Medium-height hollies like Compacta, convexa or hardy "blue" hollies make easy-to-maintain privacy screens. Plant both "male" and "female" plants -- a 'Blue Boy' with a 'Blue Girl' for example -- because hollies are dioecious plants. The white flowers on female plants are followed by red berries during winter. Many evergreen hollies are hardy to zone 5.

Yews

• The pollution-resistant yew makes an attractive urban hedge. The European native Taxus baccata and Asian Taxus cuspidate grow 50 to 60 feet tall, but tolerate yearly shearing to form tall, bushy hedges. Like boxwood, yews produce hard wood; like holly, they produce red berries in the winter. Yew berries follow insignificant pollen cones produced by the plant in spring. Japanese yews are native to North Korea, Russia and Northern China; many T. cuspidata and T. media are hardy through zone 4. Collect clippings from annual trimming; they are toxic for small animals or children.