Colorado has some of the most consistently beautiful weather in the country. With over 300 days of sunshine, you’ll find plenty of time to relax, hang out, and enjoy the sun in your own backyard. But if your backyard lacks privacy and your nosy neighbors are always looking in, it can have you running back inside for some solitude.
While some people might invest in privacy screens or bigger fences, you can often get just as much privacy by adding some extra landscaping to your yard. Using plants for privacy helps keep your backyard naturally beautiful and invites wildlife like birds and squirrels to hang out.
Of course, different plants require different environments in order to thrive.
Colorado’s high elevation means it has a dryer than usual climate, so you’ll want to choose your plants carefully. Luckily, we’ve gathered up everything you need to know!
Take a closer look at the best privacy plants Colorado has to offer.
Privacy Plants in Colorado
Improve Privacy With Privet
Cheyenne Privet is a thick, dark green shrub that grows tall and needs little maintenance. The dense foliage provides you with great coverage and privacy. You can plant multiple shrubs in a row to give you a nice border or fence line.
Privets can also prevent wildlife, such as deer or coyotes, from entering your backyard since they are strong and thick shrubs.
They can withstand cold and dry weather, which is perfect for Colorado’s winter. Additionally, they do well in both sunny and shady areas and can grow in different types of soil.
Privet’s bloom in the spring and summer with white, fragrant flowers. In the fall, you’ll get beautiful blackberries that will attract different kinds of birds to your backyard. Privets are one of the fastest-growing shrubs for privacy in CO and can grow up to eight feet tall.
Tall Ponderosa Pines Can Outgrow Fences
Ponderosa Pines are a species of Evergreen native to Colorado. You can always bet on native plants and trees to flourish in the Colorado environment. Evergreens can grow extremely high, so make sure they won’t interfere with any power lines or taller structures.
These trees are a great option for privacy plants because you can allow them to grow taller than most fences while still being up to your building or neighborhood’s codes. They do grow horizontally as well, so keeping them pruned and shaped will help them grow tall instead of wide.
Ponderosa Pines will keep a beautiful greenish-blue foliage all year round. Evergreens have fragrant bark that smells wonderful and will remind you of the holidays. They can tolerate rocky soil, which you will find in many Colorado backyards.
Related: How to Pick Up Acorns from the Backyard
Junipers Are Great for Small Spaces
Upright Junipers are another species of Evergreen that provide excellent privacy. Junipers grow rather tall while keeping their thin shape. This makes them a great choice for smaller backyard spaces.
Junipers are happiest with a lot of sunshine but minimal watering. These trees thrive in Colorado’s sunny but dry climate. Junipers can withstand Colorado’s cold winters and can survive in most soil types.
Junipers will keep their color all year round and come in different varieties of green to blue foliage. This is a great way to add color to your otherwise barren yard in the middle of winter.
Private Canopy with a Crabapple Tree
Crabapple Trees are compact trees that are great for screening neighbors due to their wide canopies. These trees stay on the shorter side, as far as trees go, but grow beautiful, large canopies that give you extra coverage for shorter fences.
Crabapple Trees bloom in the summer with small, red fruits that you can use for jellies, sauces, and jams. Before the fruits bloom, lovely flowers will bloom in a variety of white, red, and pink colors.
These trees are one of the best for fall. Once the weather gets colder, their leaves turn to vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Vibrant Viburnum Gives You Privacy and Beauty
Viburnum shrubs are a top choice for blooming flowers. These shrubs bloom in early spring and last through fall with fragrant white flower bushels. They need little landscaping and can grow quickly.
Their dark green leaves provide dense foliage, which can help screen your yard from neighbors. Their fall berries attract birds and squirrels to add some extra nature to your space. In the fall, you will see its leaves turn from green to purplish-red.
When caring for these privacy plants in Colorado, make sure to give them plenty of water, especially on really hot days. Viburnum does well in shady or sunny areas and can survive in most types of soil.
Lilacs Create Barriers and Bring Wildlife
Lilacs give you dense, bushy foliage to add to create a barrier or add to a short fence. In the springtime, beautiful light purple flowers bloom and attract tons of butterflies. These flowers have a wonderful scent that you and the wildlife can enjoy.
Once the bloom is over, bright green leaves keep their attractive look and provide a great space for birds to nest and hangout. Lilacs like a lot of sunshine and will need to be watered during high-heat days.
Vines Can Help Build Up Your Fences
Vines are another great option for adding a little more privacy to your fence. Teaching vines to climb chain link fences can fill in those gaps and create a solid screen against prying eyes.
Adding a trellis or pergola to your yard is a great way to add height to your privacy. Vines can grow extremely fast and fill in all that extra space. Because they grow so fast, it is important to maintain these plants, so they don’t grow out of control.
Final Thoughts
Adding privacy the natural way can create a peaceful place to relax in your Colorado home. These privacy plants and shrubs not only give you solitude, but they also bring in other wildlife, colors, and smells that can greatly improve your outdoor space.
While these are some of the best privacy plants for Colorado residents, they’re not the only options available. If we missed one of your favorites, please let us know in the comments below!
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