A solid green wall glows in the evening light outside my kitchen window now. It sits right where the neighbor's open field used to show through the glass. That wall is a row of Emerald Green I lined up along the fence. I picked it over Green Giant because my side yard was too narrow for the bigger tree.
So the best arborvitae for privacy is the one that fits your width. It is not the one with the tallest brag on the tag. Your two top picks for an arborvitae privacy screen are Emerald Green and Green Giant. The right choice comes down to how much room you have.
Here is the size gap that drives the whole decision. Emerald Green tops out at 12 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. That slim shape stays tidy against a fence. Green Giant is a different animal. It reaches 40 to 60 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide when fully grown, which is far more than most lots can hold.
That width is the part people skip when they shop for trees. A Green Giant set four feet off a fence will swallow a narrow yard in a few seasons. You end up pruning it back every year just to walk past. An Emerald Green stays in its lane. I planted mine in a strip of ground barely five feet wide, and it has never once crowded the path. Check your own width before you fall for the tall photos, because a tree that outgrows your space turns into a yearly chore instead of a screen.
Speed and toughness split the two as well. Green Giant puts on a fast 3 to 5 feet of growth per year. If you want your view blocked in two or three seasons, that pace is hard to beat. It also shrugs off deer better than most evergreens, which helps on rural land. Emerald Green grows slower and stays tidier. But it is hardy down to USDA zone 3. That makes it your safer pick for the harsh northern winters that would stress a Green Giant and leave you with brown, thin gaps.
- Stays narrow at 3 to 4 feet wide, ideal for tight side yards and fence lines.
- Tops out near 12 to 15 feet, so it never blocks light or towers over the house.
- Hardy to USDA zone 3 and tidy enough to need little shaping.
- Grows a fast 3 to 5 feet per year, filling a gap in just two or three seasons.
- Reaches 40 to 60 feet for a tall wall, but needs 12 to 20 feet of width.
- More deer-resistant, a real plus on rural lots with heavy browsing.
When you put Emerald Green vs Green Giant side by side, the call gets simple. Pick Emerald Green for a narrow, tidy screen along a fence or a small lot. It is your answer when you cannot give up much ground. Pick Green Giant for a fast, tall wall on a big property with room to spare. Match the tree to the space you actually have.
Whichever you plant, space the trees by their mature width, not their nursery size. Set Emerald Green about 3 feet apart for a snug hedge. Give each Green Giant 5 to 6 feet so the row fills in without crowding itself. I made the mistake of planting too close on my first hedge, and the trees thinned out where they touched. Plant for the size in ten years and your screen lasts for decades.
Read the full article: Arborvitae Shrub: Complete Growing Guide
