20 Green Fences That Grow Faster Than Bamboo

Bamboo has a reputation as the fastest-growing plant on Earth. Some species shoot up three feet in a single day. Impressive, right? Here's what nobody tells you. Bamboo is a nightmare for most homeowners. It spreads underground through invasive rhizomes, cracks foundations, jumps property lines, and once it's in your yard, it is nearly impossible to kill. Cities have banned it, neighbors have sued over it, and removal costs can run into the thousands. But here's the good news. You don't need bamboo to get a thick, tall, privacy-blocking green fence fast. There are 20 plants that grow just as fast, sometimes faster, without turning into a legal problem. Some of these hit six feet in a single growing season. Some create a wall so dense you can't see through it by year two. And I'm counting them down from 20 to the single fastest, toughest, most reliable green fence you can plant this year. Stick around for number one. It's the plant professional landscapers plant when clients demand instant privacy and refuse to wait five years for it. Let's get into it. Number 20. Clumping Bamboo, Fargesia. Yes, I'm starting with a bamboo, but hear me out. If you genuinely love the look of bamboo but refuse to deal with the invasive spreading nightmare of running bamboo, Fargesia is your answer. This is clumping bamboo, meaning it grows in a tight, contained clump instead of sending underground runners into your neighbor's yard. It grows two to four feet per year once established, reaching mature heights of 10 to 15 feet depending on the variety. It's cold-hardy down to negative 20 degrees in some cultivars, which regular tropical bamboo can't handle. The foliage is dense, evergreen, and creates that iconic bamboo privacy screen look without a single rhizome barrier needed. Plant it in partial shade with consistent moisture, and it will thicken up fast. This is the plant for people who want the aesthetic without the horror stories. Number 19. Autumn Olive. Autumn Olive is one of the most aggressive fast growers in North America, adding three to five feet per year. It's technically considered invasive in some states, which tells you exactly how fast and how tough this plant is, but if you're using it purely as a privacy screen on your own property, it's brutally effective. It tolerates poor soil, drought, salt spray, and neglect better than almost anything on this list. The silvery green leaves create dense coverage, and it produces small red berries that birds love. Within two seasons, you'll have a thick, impenetrable hedge line. Just check your local regulations before planting. Some regions restrict it, but if it's legal where you are, nothing beats its speed for zero-maintenance screening. Number 18. Osage Orange Farmers used Osage Orange as living fencing for cattle a century before barbed wire existed. That's how dense and thorny this plant gets. It grows two to four feet annually and develops sharp thorns that make it genuinely impenetrable both to people and animals. This is the plant to choose if privacy isn't your only goal, security is. Nobody is pushing through an Osage Orange hedge. It tolerates nearly any soil condition, handles drought without complaint, and lives for decades once established. The trade-off is maintenance. You'll want to prune it to keep it fence height rather than letting it grow into a full tree. But as a security-focused green fence, it has no equal on this list. Number 17. Norway Spruce. If you want height, not just width, Norway Spruce delivers two to three feet of vertical growth per year and can eventually reach 60 feet tall. It's the classic evergreen windbreak tree used across northern climates for exactly this reason. The dense needle coverage blocks wind, sound, and sight lines effectively within just a few years of planting. It's extremely cold-hardy, tolerates a wide range of soils, and requires almost no pruning to maintain its natural pyramidal shape as a privacy screen. Space your trees 8 to 10 feet apart for a solid green wall, give it full sun, and within five years you'll have a windbreak most people wait decades for. Number 16. Hick's Yew. Hick's Yew is a columnar evergreen that grows about one foot per year, which sounds slow compared to others on this list. But its density makes up for it. This is one of the thickest, darkest green privacy hedges available, and it holds its narrow shape without wide spreading, making it perfect for tight property lines. It tolerates shade better than almost any conifer, handles heavy pruning without dying back, and stays green through brutal winters. Deer tend to avoid it in areas where other options get devoured. If your space is narrow and you need dense coverage without a wide footprint, Hick's Yew earns its spot even at a slower growth rate than the plants ranked above it. Number 15. Weeping Willow. Weeping Willow is famous for a reason. It grows 3 to 4 feet per year and can reach 50 feet tall within a decade. The cascading branches create a dramatic, elegant screen unlike anything else on this list, and it's often used as a focal privacy tree near water features or large yards. It needs consistent moisture so it thrives near ponds, low spots, or areas with poor drainage where other trees struggle. The root system is aggressive so keep it well away from foundations, septic systems, and underground pipes. For large properties wanting fast, beautiful, sweeping coverage, nothing matches its combination of speed and visual drama. Number 14. Nelly Stephens Holly. Nelly Stephens Holly grows about 3 feet per year and creates one of the most attractive, dense, glossy-leafed privacy hedges available. Unlike many fast growers, it doesn't sacrifice beauty for speed. The deep green foliage and red winter berries make it a landscaper favorite. It tolerates heat, humidity, drought, and poor soil once established, and it holds its pyramidal shape naturally without heavy pruning. It's also more pest- and disease-resistant than most broadleaf evergreens on the market. If you want a privacy hedge that looks intentional and upscale rather than purely functional, this is the plant that checks both boxes. Number 13. Italian Cypress. Italian Cypress grows 3 feet per year in the right climate and creates a striking narrow vertical green wall rather than a wide bushy hedge. This is the plant lining Mediterranean villas and high-end landscape designs for centuries. Its slim profile means you can plant it close together, as little as 3 feet apart, to form a tight column of green that maximizes privacy without eating up yard space. It thrives in hot, dry climates and struggles in wet, humid ones, so it's a regional pick. If you're in a warm, dry climate and want elegant vertical screening fast, this is your plant. Number 12. Wax Myrtle. Wax Myrtle grows 3 to 5 feet per year, making it one of the fastest broadleaf evergreens available for southern and coastal climates. It tolerates salt spray, poor sandy soil, and standing water better than almost anything else on this list. The aromatic leaves release a pleasant scent when brushed, and the dense branching structure creates a full, wide privacy screen within 2 to 3 growing seasons. Birds love the waxy berries it produces in fall. For coastal properties or difficult wet soil where other plants fail, Wax Myrtle solves problems nothing else on this list can handle. Number 11. Silverberry, Elagnus. Elagnus is a beast. It grows 3 to 6 feet per year and is nearly impossible to kill through neglect, drought, poor soil, or pollution. This is the plant landscapers reach for when a client needs fast screening in the worst possible growing conditions. The silvery green foliage creates dense, arching coverage, and it can be shaped into a formal hedge or left loose for a wilder screen. It tolerates salt, wind, and compacted urban soil better than nearly any plant on this entire list. The one downside? It can become invasive if left unchecked, so annual pruning keeps it contained and thick rather than sprawling. Number 10. Bald Cypress. Bald Cypress grows 3 to 5 feet per year and is one of the toughest, longest-living trees in North America. Some specimens live over a thousand years. Despite the name, it thrives in both wet and surprisingly dry soil once established. It creates a tall, feathery green screen through the growing season, and while it drops its needles in winter like a deciduous tree, the trunk and branch structure still provides meaningful screening year-round. It's essentially indestructible once its root system matures. For a fast-growing tree that will genuinely outlive you and keep providing privacy for generations, this is the long game pick. Number 9. Lombardy Poplar. Lombardy Poplar is one of the fastest tree-form privacy plants that exists, up to 6 feet of growth per year. Within just 3 to 4 years, you can have a 60-foot tall living wall. Few plants on earth match this vertical speed. It's narrow and columnar, meaning you can pack multiple trees closely together to form a dense green barrier fast. It's commonly used for windbreaks and rapid screening projects where property owners need results immediately, not in a decade. The trade-off is lifespan. Lombardy Poplar is shorter-lived than other trees on this list, typically 15 to 20 years, and its root system can be aggressive, but for raw speed, almost nothing beats it. Number 8. Forsythia. Forsythia grows 2 to 3 feet per year and is best known for its explosion of bright yellow flowers every spring, but it's also a serious fast-growing privacy shrub. The arching branches create thick, tangled coverage that's difficult to see through even in winter when leaves drop. It tolerates poor soil, urban pollution, and heavy pruning better than almost any flowering shrub. Cut it back hard and it grows back even thicker the following season, which is unusual for most plants. If you want a privacy hedge that doubles as a spectacular seasonal flower display, Forsythia gives you both speed and beauty in one plant. Number 7. Hybrid Willow. Hybrid Willow is engineered specifically for speed. It can grow 6 to 10 feet in a single year, making it one of the fastest-growing screening plants available anywhere. Within three years, a hybrid willow hedge can reach 25 to 30 feet tall. It's used commercially for windbreaks, biomass production, and rapid privacy screening because nothing else comes close to its growth rate. The dense branching fills in quickly, blocking sight lines and sound within the very first growing season. It does require consistent water, especially while establishing, and it's shorter-lived than slower-growing trees. But if speed is your only priority, this might be the single fastest option on this entire list. Number 6. Emerald Green Arborvitae. Emerald Green Arborvitae grows about one foot per year, which is slower than most entries here, but it's included because it's the single most popular privacy hedge plant in North America for good reason. It stays a tight, narrow, formal green wall that requires almost no maintenance to look sharp. It tolerates cold, wind, and a wide range of soils, and its narrow footprint means you can plant it in tight side yards where wider plants won't fit. Deer resistance is decent, though not absolute. If you want the classic, manicured, formal privacy hedge look rather than a wild, fast-growing screen, this remains the gold standard choice. Number 5. Red Tip Photinia. Red Tip Photinia grows three feet per year and stands out immediately thanks to its brilliant red new growth that matures into deep green, giving your privacy hedge seasonal color changes that most evergreens can't offer. It responds extremely well to shearing, regrowing red tips after every pruning, which means you get color displays multiple times per year if you trim it regularly. It creates dense, full coverage from ground level up, unlike trees that get bare and leggy at the base. The one thing to watch is fungal leaf spot disease in humid climates, so good airflow and spacing between plants matters. Done right, this is one of the most visually striking hedges on this list. Number 4. Skip. Laurel Skip Laurel, also called Ship Laurel, grows two to three feet per year and creates one of the densest, glossiest evergreen privacy screens available. Unlike many fast growers, it stays full and lush from top to bottom without gaps. It handles shade far better than most privacy plants on this list, making it ideal for yards with mature trees blocking direct sun. It's also notably deer resistant, which sets it apart from cherry laurel and other similar species that deer devour readily. For shaded yards needing dense year-round coverage without sacrificing growth speed, Skip Laurel solves a problem most fast growers can't handle. Number 3. Privet Hedge. Privet grows three to five feet per year and has been the go-to fast privacy hedge for over a century for one simple reason. It works every time in nearly every climate and soil type. It's practically foolproof. It tolerates severe pruning, poor soil, pollution, drought, and neglect better than almost any hedge plant available. Shear it regularly and you'll get an incredibly dense, formal green wall within two growing seasons. Leave it unpruned and it still fills in fast as a The trade-off is that some varieties can self-seed aggressively, so choose a non-invasive cultivar for your region. Beyond that, this is about as close to a guaranteed result as fast growing hedges get. Number 2. Leyland Cypress. Leyland Cypress grows an astonishing three to five feet per year and is the plant most commonly recommended when someone needs a fast, tall, thick privacy screen and needs it now. It can reach 60 to 70 feet at full maturity, though most homeowners maintain it at 15 to 20 feet through pruning. It's a hybrid, meaning it combines fast growth with dense evergreen foliage that blocks sight lines completely within just a couple of growing seasons. It tolerates a wide range of soils and climates, which is why it's planted from coast to coast across the country. The one real risk is bagworm and canker disease in overly wet or crowded conditions, so proper spacing and airflow are critical. Get that right, and Leyland Cypress delivers speed and density that few plants can match. Number 1. Thuja Green Giant. Here it is, the plant professional landscapers plant more than any other when a client demands fast, reliable, low-maintenance privacy. Thuja Green Giant grows three to five feet per year, and in ideal conditions, established specimens have been recorded pushing six feet in a single season. It reaches 30 to 40 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet wide at maturity, but the real advantage is what happens along the way. Dense, rich green foliage fills in from the ground up almost immediately, meaning you get a genuine privacy wall within two to three years, not a decade. Unlike Leyland Cypress, it's significantly more disease-resistant, tolerating heat, cold, drought, and poor soil without the bagworm and canker issues that plague its competitors. It's also deer-resistant, low-maintenance, and requires minimal pruning to maintain its natural pyramidal shape. This is why it's the single most-planted, fast-growing privacy hedge in the country. It combines the speed everyone wants from bamboo with none of the invasive root nightmares, none of the disease vulnerability of other conifers, and none of the maintenance demands of formal hedges. Plant it, water it consistently for the first two years, and then largely leave it alone. It does the rest. That's the full list. 20 plants that outpace bamboo without the invasive rhizomes threatening your foundation or your neighbor's yard. If you're planting for pure speed, Hybrid Willow and Lombardy Poplar are unbeatable. If you want the smartest overall balance of speed, density, and zero-maintenance reliability, Thuja Green Giant is the answer hands down. Drop a comment telling me which one you're planting this season, subscribe if you want more no-fluff landscaping breakdowns like this one, and I'll see you in the next video.