The fastest growing shrubs for privacy are not necessarily going to be the most attractive 
ones. There are ways of having fast-growing shrubs without letting them take over your garden.
Ask yourself whether you need privacy only in summer, or whether you need it all year round. If you are only outside in the summer months you can use deciduous privacy shrubs. If you need winter privacy in your garden then you will have to buy evergreen privacy shrubs.
Consider your privacy screen as a three stage project:
- Year one – Plant fast growing shrubs that will quickly grow too much and need to be cut back. Plant slower growing shrubs in front of these fast growing ones. Stagger your planting.
- Years four to six – Cut back the fast growing shrubs to the height of the ones in front of them each year.
- Year seven to ten – Cut down and dig out the fast growing shrubs, they are too much work. Fertilise the soil and add lots of compost. Plant slower growing. Shade loving shrubs where you have taken out the fast growing ones.
Fast Growing Evergreen Shrubs
Photinia is the best of these. It will grow to four feet high in its second year and to seven feet in its third year. Photinia shrubs have dark green leaves with new foliage that is red. They will stand hard cutting back when that becomes necessary.
Fast Growing Deciduous Shrubs
You have more choice in deciduous shrubs. Flowering currant, Hypericum, Weigela, Berberis and Buddleja (Buddleia or butterfly bush) varieties are all available that will grow quickly to at least eight feet. My personal favorites are the weigelas and pussy willows.
Weigelas have pink or red flowers all along their stems in June to give a very impressive display. They have lots of stems coming up from ground level.
Pussy willow has catkins on the bare branches in February. Buy male and female shrubs if you can, but it is the male pussy willow catkins that are the more striking in their appearance with their bright yellow stamens and pollen grains. The shrubs are more like multi-trunked small trees in their growth habit and grow to fifteen or twenty feet in a few years.
Slower Growing Shrubs for the Front Row
Buy as many different ones as you can find that will grow in your garden. Include Cotoneaster, Hypericum, Potentilla and Pieris and Broom
Slower Growing Shrubs to Replace the Fast Growing Shrubs
These need to be shade loving shrubs like Azaleas, Camelias, Hydrangeas and Aucuba. White camellias do well in deep shade. The aucuba is an evergreen with variegated yellow and green leaves.
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