Tall Shrubs for Privacy

Golden Bamboo

• Golden bamboo, or fish pole bamboo, is one of the shorter varieties available for home planting, reaching a height of up to 27 feet, with a trunk diameter of less than two inches. This bamboo is the most popular species in the United States, according to Complete Bamboo. It thrives in a large range of weather conditions, and its young shoots are edible, having been used in Asian cuisine for centuries.

  The branches grow into a thick hedge, and quickly make an excellent privacy screen, as bamboo is the fastest growing perennial in the world. Due to bamboo's tendency to spread as quickly as it grows, plantings should be contained within barriers.

Showy Forsythia

• The showy forsythia, a member of the olive family, is a large flowery shrub that grows fast and suffers from few pests. Its average height can reach up to more than 10 feet, and can spread up to 12 feet wide. It needs frequent pruning, but can be trained to any required height. The pale to bright yellow flowers on healthy plants usually bloom early in the spring on long, slender branches. Weather permitting, the flowers can last up to three weeks before the thick growth of leaves develop.

Classic Lilac

• Lilacs are native to Asia, but are widely popular in the U.S. Purple lilacs were first mentioned in New Hampshire history in 1750.

  There are hundreds of hybrid varieties of the classic, or common lilac, with single or double blooms in shades of pink, violet, yellow, red, several purple hues, blue and white.

  Lilac shrubs can range in height from 2 feet to more than 12 feet tall. In addition to being a fragrant privacy shrub, the lilac provides protection for small animals and birds. While most lilac varieties do well in most areas of the country, The National Gardening Association suggests planting Descanso hybrids in hot and desert areas. They are reported to do well up to Zone 10 on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

European Cranberry

• The European cranberry, a member of the viburnum genus, makes an excellent privacy plant. This flowering shrub grows to a height of up to eight to 10 feet, and features flat clusters of white flowers in the spring. A second growth season occurs in autumn and produces bright red berries. While some berry-bearing viburnum species produce edible berries, the European Cranberry does not.