Native Plants

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Thursday - April 16, 2009

From: Dublin, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Trees
Title: Trees for privacy shield in Dublin, Virginia
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

What are the best trees to plant for privacy in a small yard?

ANSWER:

Here are some small trees (40 feet tall or less) that are good candidates for your yard:

Acer pensylvanicum (striped maple) 20-40 feet, more photos from University of Connecticut

Amelanchier laevis (Allegheny serviceberry) 15-25 feet tall provides food for birds and small mammals

Asimina triloba (pawpaw) 10-40 feet tall

Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) 15-20 feet tall with beautiful pink flowers in the spring

Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) 20-40 feet with showy white flowers in the spring

Crataegus marshallii (parsley hawthorn) to 25 feet with ornamental foliage

Hamamelis virginiana (American witchhazel) 10-35 feet tall

Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay) 12-20 feet tall is a slender tree or shrub and semi-evergreen with large, fragrant, showy flowers

Prunus virginiana (chokecherry) 20-30 feet tall

Ptelea trifoliata (common hoptree)10 to 15 feet tall

Sorbus americana (American mountain ash) 15-20 feet tall and ornamental

Viburnum rufidulum (rusty blackhaw) to 18 feet tall

You can find more possibilities by going to our Recommended Species page and choose Virginia from the map or the pulldown menu and then use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to select "Tree" from the Habit (general appearance) option.

Acer pensylvanicum