My back fence used to stare right into the neighbor's deck. Three years after I lined it with Yoshino, that bare run of wood is a solid green wall I cannot see through. A japanese cedar privacy screen is one of the best living barriers you can plant, and yes, it works. I set those trees about 12 ft (3.7 m) apart, and the branches met and locked together by the second summer.
The plant doing the work here is Cryptomeria japonica. It grows in a tight pyramidal shape and holds soft, scale-like needles all year. That dense, evergreen habit is what makes it a strong evergreen privacy hedge. You get a screen in January that looks the same as it does in July, with no bare gaps when the weather turns cold.
Deer and rabbits mostly leave it alone, which matters more than you might think. I have lost whole rows of other shrubs to deer in a single winter. The cedar stayed untouched. That resistance, plus a slow steady fill-in, means you plant it once and let it do its job for decades. You will not be out there replacing chewed-up shrubs every spring.
Two cultivars handle screening best, and your choice depends on how much room you have.
Yoshino
- Mature size: Reaches about 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m) tall and 20 ft (6 m) wide, so it builds a tall, full wall fast.
- Growth rate: Adds 1 to 2 ft (0.3 to 0.6 m) a year once settled, giving you real cover within three seasons.
- Best use: Long open property lines where you want height and a broad base that blocks sight lines from the ground up.
Radicans
- Mature size: Stays narrow and columnar at roughly 30 ft (9 m) tall but only 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m) wide.
- Spacing fit: The slim shape lets you plant a tighter row, which suits small yards and side-yard gaps.
- Bonus trait: Holds a cleaner green through winter than some other types and shrugs off most pests.
Black Dragon
- Mature size: A more compact pick at 10 to 12 ft (3 to 3.7 m) tall, good for a low screen along a patio.
- Shape: Forms a broad cone with dark green new growth, so it fills in thick near the ground where you want cover.
- Best use: Short fence lines and corners where a full-size cedar would crowd the space and block windows.
Spacing is where most people go wrong, so plan your row before you dig. Set your plants 10 to 15 ft (3 to 4.5 m) apart on center, depending on the cultivar. Tighter spacing near 10 ft (3 m) closes the gaps faster but crowds the roots over time. Wider spacing near 15 ft (4.5 m) gives each tree room to fill out into its full pyramidal form. I once jammed a row in at 8 ft and the inner branches thinned out within four years.
If you ever fought a row of dying Leyland cypress, this plant will feel like a relief. Many gardeners now use it as a leyland cypress replacement. It skips the bagworm and the fungal rot that take Leylands down fast. I pulled out two of my own dying Leylands and put cedar in their spot. You trade a quick hedge that fails for a slow one that lasts. That is an easy call for you to make.
One rule keeps the screen full from top to bottom. Never top it. Cutting the leader to control height leaves an ugly flat crown that thins out and never recovers right. Pick a cultivar whose mature height matches your space instead, and let the tree grow into its natural shape. Trim only the sides if you need to tidy the width.
So choose Yoshino for a tall broad wall or Radicans for a narrow run, space the row around 12 ft (3.7 m), and leave the top alone. Do that and your japanese cedar privacy screen will block the view for the next thirty years.
Read the full article: Japanese Cedar: Complete Care and Growing Guide
