The Best Trees To Use for Your Backyard Oasis
During the pandemic, your home became your live, work and play space. Outside living really became almost a necessity. Professionals in the industry have some great ideas on what to use for planting when it comes to your backyard oasis.
“Using plantings adds more color, texture, and in some cases movement to the garden, which can be enjoyed from indoors and out. You also can attract wildlife to your space, such as songbirds and pollinators. That’s a joy if you love observing nature up close,” says Kat Aul Cervoni of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat.
Trees are the perfect addition for a nice private outdoor living space. Here are some privacy trees and large shrubs that are perfect for the job.
Skip Laurel
A skip laurel is a beautiful evergreen that will bloom white flowers in the spring. It has glossy leaves and grows extremely fast and works in the shade. These trees can grow in most any type of soil and are deer resistant.
Cryptomeria
A crypotemia tree is a fancy name for a Japanese cedar. This tree is known for its texture and will grow over thirty feet tall. When you plant this tree, make sure to plant it with plenty of space due to its massive size when full grown.
Rhododendron
These evergreen bushes produce beautiful flowers that will bloom in late spring. The blooms can be in a wide variety of colors ranging from coral to lavender. These bushes do like part-time shade.
Juniper
These wonderful shrubs come in a variety of colors that are from blue-green to gold. They also come in many different shapes and sizes making them a great choice. Many use these shrubs as a privacy screen. The plant also has clusters of blue-green fruits that give it a bit of a unique look.
Chastetree
A unique tree that grows fast and has beautiful purple blooms with accented gray-green foliage. It is not as well known as many trees but it can make a great privacy screen growing up to 15 feet wide. Note: if you want a spreading multi-trunk display, prune every season.
Yew
This tree comes in many different kinds that are both tall and low-growing. The tall yews are perfect for borders and privacy screens. If you live in a colder climate, then these are perfect because they are extremely cold-hardy and many can tolerate shade.
Serviceberry
Another beautiful tree that has white flowers that give off a nice fragrance during the spring. The flowers which bloom in the spring will turn into deep purple berries in the summer. Many pick these berris naad use them for making jam. This tree will grow up to 25 feet tall and also gives beautiful fall colors.
Arborvitae
These trees grow in different shapes that include round, columnar or pyramidal. They also come in many different sizes ranging from a couple of feet tall to over thirty feet tall. These do not require much maintenance as they do not need to be sheared to keep their shape. These fast growing trees are hardy but the deer love to eat them!
False Cypress
These trees are very pretty and have fern-like needles and graceful limbs. This is another low-maintenance plant and comes in many varieties. They are mostly pyramidal in shape and are great to use for privacy screens.
Hemlock
A graceful tree that has soft, feathery foliage and is great in colder climates because it likes extreme cold. It can tolerate some shade but also likes the sun and it grows to be very tall. There are some dwarf varieties that will also go well in a nice backyard.
Hydrangea
This shrub is another fast grower and is very colorful. The beautiful flowers come in tons of sizes and colors that last from summer to late fall. They make great additions to your garden or yard.
Cedar
These trees are very popular and have an elegant form with unique pine cones. There are many varieties and they are perfect for a border. These trees can also grow in pots and are great for a patio area.
Rose of Sharon
This plant is a shrub with beautiful tropical looking flowers. They work as nice privacy borders and bloom in the late summer. They will give your area a beautiful and pleasant look and atmosphere.
Using trees and shrubs for privacy brings visual interest and beauty to your outdoor space. “A green screen provides a more dynamic element to your space – something that grows each year and changes with the seasons, which I find gives a person a beautiful way to observe the passage of time and feel more connected to nature,” says Cervoni.
