When looking for the best fast-growing trees for privacy in California, your tree must be tolerant to your climate zone to survive and grow year-round.
And you can’t measure your privacy tree’s climate zone by its appearance. That’s why we’ve designed this quick guide to help you choose the best privacy tree in California.
Dawn Redwood
The Dawn Redwood is a low-maintenance pyramidal coastal shade tree that thrives in large landscapes and grows over 2 feet yearly.
Plant this tree early in the fall to establish its roots and avoid planting in low-lying frost pocket areas.
The Dawn Redwood is the best fast-growing tree for privacy in Northern California in Hardiness Zones 5-8. However, Dawn Redwoods can be prone to damage to early fall freeze if planted later in fall.
This tree prefers acidic, sandy, well-drained, wet clay soils under full, unfiltered sunlight.
And although the tree does survive under moist conditions, Dawn Redwoods can withstand flooding and tolerate mild droughts.
The plant can grow more than 24 inches annually when fully matured, providing winter cover for animals such as:
- Local birds
- Small mammals
- Fawns
The Silver Maple
The Silver Maple tree is a fast-growing vase-shaped large shade tree with shimmery silver leaves and branches that grow about 2 feet per year in various deep, moist, and acidic soil types.
The Silver Maple enjoys full, unfiltered sunlight and partial shade.
The Silver Maple tree is the most promising tree for privacy for Northern California’s Hardiness Zones 3-9. However, due to its rapid growth, Silver Maple trees are fragile to falling limbs and become dense over time, living only 30 years outside urban settings.
The Silver Maple provides a home for ducks and beavers—and squirrels in early spring. This tree is fit for homesteads and homes with extensive yards that want a lot of shade.
Hybrid Poplar
The Hybrid Poplar is the easiest to grow in Central California in Hardiness Zone 9.
It is an oval-shaped shade tree crossed between US Eastern Cottonwood and Black Popular native to European and North African regions with silvery green leaves that raise 8 feet yearly.
The Hybrid Poplar prefers natural sunlight with acidic, alkaline, or wet soils without growing cotton compared to other trees of its kind.
Although the Hybrid Popular has a short lifespan, the tree can be grown for firewood, windbreak protection, paper, and fuel to heat your home.
The tree also provides forage for browsing wildlife like the white-tailed deer and nesting habitats for local bird species.
Leyland Cypress
The dark oval-shaped slender evergreen Leyland Cypress tree can increase up to 4 feet per year. A Leyland Cypress provides winter cover for regional songbirds and game birds alike.
It is a crossbreed of Alaska cedar and Monterey cypress, with an impressive height of over 40 feet. The Leyland Cypress prefers direct sunlight daily in various soils, including acidic, alkaline, sandy, and clay soils. The tree needs to be pruned regularly to maintain its size and shape.
The Leyland Cypress can thrive in Southern California in Hardiness Zones 6-10.
However, the Leyland Cypress can struggle under high desert conditions, provoking the tree to become susceptible to infectious diseases such as Seiridium canker, which can shorten its lifespan.
Areca Palm
The Areca Palm Tree, also known as butterfly palm, is a clumpy tropical palm tree with delicate, dense fronds that grows into multiple stems, 2 feet every year until 35 feet tall.
Although typically grown indoors, Areca Palm Trees can integrate outdoors to develop under areas with partial shades.
However, Areca Palm cannot survive under temperatures below 60°F despite growing under high salt concentrations in water on the palm leaves or in the soil within its roots.
The Areca Palm tree is the best privacy hedge for Southern California in Hardiness Zones 10-11.
The Best Fast-Growing Trees for Privacy in California
By considering one of the fast-growing trees for privacy in California above, you can be on your way to planting the best one for your home.