Evergreen trees are an excellent choice for privacy and color because they never lose their leaves.
Some have different colored leaves, flowers, cones, or fruits for additional color in your yard.
We will look at seven of the best evergreen trees for privacy and year-round color in a range of USDA Growing Zones!
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1. Colorado Blue Spruce Tree – Picea pungens
If you are looking for a gorgeous evergreen privacy tree for year-round color, the Colorado Blue Spruce never disappoints!
This exceptionally cold-hardy tree has the most intense silvery-blue needle-like leaves. Whether against the backdrop of spring and summer greens or winter browns and whites, this tree’s color really pops!
The best part is that Colorado Blue Spruce is quite drought-tolerant and will handle various soils, including acidic or clay.
Planted as a single privacy tree or in rows to make a gorgeous blue border to surround your property, this tree will look stunning!
- USDA Growing Zones: 2 – 7
- Average Size at Maturity: 30 – 60 ft tall, 25 – 30 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: Pollen cones mature in spring; light brown seed cones mature in fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
2. Emerald Green Arborvitae – Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’
The Emerald Green Arborvitae is a gorgeous selection derived from our lovely native Northern White Cedar but in a smaller, low-maintenance form.
The gorgeous, vibrant emerald green scale-like leaves arranged attractively in delicate feathery sprays retain their intense color all year round.
Emerald Green Arborvitae can be grown singly or in rows to create a gorgeous outdoor room with living green walls.
Since it remains small and compact, no pruning is required, making it a perfect choice for small gardens.
Emerald Green Arborvitae can easily grow in full sun or partial shade in almost any soil type.
- USDA Growing Zones: 4 – 8
- Average Size at Maturity: 10 – 15 ft tall, 3 – 4 ft spread
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
3. Nellie Stevens Holly – Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’
The Nellie Stevens Holly is a beautiful hybrid cross of the Chinese and English Hollys but has little invasive potential compared to its parents. Its gorgeous pyramidal form and beautiful leathery spine-tipped leaves require little to no maintenance.
This fast-growing beauty produces gorgeous crimson-red berries without needing an additional pollinator tree, and they really pop out against its shiny green spine-tipped leaves and last all winter, inviting birds to your yard for the winter feast.
Nellie Stevens Holly is easy to grow in hot, humid, or dry climates, but they prefer well-drained acidic soils.
- USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 9
- Average Size at Maturity: 15 – 25 ft tall, 8 – 12 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: White flowers emerge in spring, hidden by the leaves; crimson-red berries mature in fall.
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
4. Eastern White Pine – Pinus strobus
Eastern White Pine is a gorgeous native pine tree with long, soft, needle-like leaves with prominent white stripes (stomatal lines), creating a beautiful contrast of white against bluish-green for gorgeous evergreen color that really stands out.
These hardy native trees grow fast and develop into gorgeous tall trees with loosely rounded crowns, loads of fragrant, elegant needle-like leaves, beautiful pine cones, and soft gray bark that develops attractive ridges as it matures.
Long-lived and low maintenance, Eastern White Pine makes a lovely privacy tree, but make sure you give it plenty of room to grow naturally.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 – 8
- Average Size at Maturity: 60 – 75 ft tall, 20 – 40 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: Pollen cones mature in spring; seed cones mature in fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
5. Southern Magnolia – Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’
The Southern Magnolia is an absolutely stunning broadleaf evergreen with big, beautiful, thick, leathery, glossy green leaves with fuzzy, velvety-brown undersides that retain their beauty all year.
And the best part is that the gorgeous leaves aren’t even the best part! Southern Magnolias also bloom massive white flowers every summer, sometimes exceeding 1 foot in diameter! After the blooms fade, their unique cone-like fruits and red seeds are enjoyed by native wildlife.
Planting one of these elegant, no-fuss privacy trees will surely increase your property value in no time and invite the adoration and envy of all your neighbors!
- USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 9
- Average Size at Maturity: 30 – 50 ft tall, 15 – 30 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers emerge in July and continue to bloom throughout summer; fruits mature in fall and persist through winter
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
6. Deodar Cedar – Cedrus deodara
The lovely Deodar Cedar tree is one of the few true cedars and is native to the Mediterranean, so it easily tolerates heat, drought, and strong winds.
The elegant pyramidal form with ascending main branches but drooping secondary branches combined with clusters of fragrant blue-green needle-like leaves creates a soft and elegant look that will provide year-round beauty for your yard.
New leaves emerge with shades of yellow in the spring before maturing to blue-green, providing additional spring color. In the fall, Deodar Cedar develops egg-shaped seed cones that add more depth and color to the landscape.
- USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 11
- Average Size at Maturity: 40 – 50 ft tall, 20 – 30 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: Pollen cones mature in spring; seed cones mature in fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
7. White Spruce – Picea Glauca
The gorgeous White Spruce is one of the most beautiful evergreen coniferous trees and is perfect for cold climates down to USDA Zone 2, where it thrives in frigid winters.
The gorgeous light-green needle-like leaves look delicate on the trees’ slightly drooping pyramidal form and are beautiful against a snow backdrop. Their beautiful, long, pale green seed cones mature in fall and provide additional fall and winter color.
White Spruce prefers moist, rich soil but is drought-tolerant and adaptable to nearly any soil type, including dry, wet, and acidic soil. This tough tree will handle just about anything!
- USDA Growing Zones: 2 – 6
- Average Size at Maturity: 40 – 60 ft tall, 10 – 12 ft spread
- Flowering / Fruiting Season: Pollen cones mature in spring; pale green seed cones mature in fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
Beautiful Evergreen Trees For Year Round Color
Evergreen trees are the perfect choice for privacy trees because they provide year-round privacy and color.
And just because they are “ever-green” doesn’t mean you only get green! These trees also provide blues, silver-blues, whites, and even velvety brown leaves, not to mention the gorgeous seasonal flowers and fruits some produce!
I hope you have enjoyed learning about gorgeous evergreen privacy trees. Now, the hardest part will be choosing which one(s) you want to buy for your yard!
Related Articles:
- 14 Evergreen Trees to Grow in Kentucky (Small and Large)
- 8 Excellent Evergreen Trees That Will Thrive in USDA Zone 8
- 8 Excellent Evergreen Trees That Will Thrive in USDA Zone 7
