For many modern homes the back yard can feel like a fishbowl. Higher density housing often means more eyes peering from neighboring second story windows. In these situations plant screening becomes a great way to create privacy. The challenge here becomes selecting the right plants that screen, but don’t turn into monster trees over time.

Small scale evergreens are the solution, but what are some good selections? Many times these plants are either trees proper, or large shrubs that can be used as a tall hedge or trained as a small tree (standardized to a single trunk). Here are some of our favorites shared via our Plantmaster online database.

View these in the cool Plantmaster Presentation Modes

Small Scale Evergreen Trees

Botanical	Common
Tree
Arbutus ‘Marina’	Marina Strawberry Tree
Feijoa sellowiana	Pineapple Guava
Ilex X altaclarensis ‘Wilsonii’	Wilson Holly
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’	Little Gem Dwarf Southern Magnolia
Olea europaea ‘Wilsoni’	Wilson Fruitless Olive
Prunus caroliniana	Carolina Laurel Cherry
Shrub/STANDARDIZED TREE
Laurus nobilis ‘Saratoga’	Saratoga Sweet Bay
Pittosporum tenuifolium	Blackstem Pittosporum
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’	Schipka Cherry Laurel
Rhamnus alaternus	Italian Buckthorn
Rhamnus alaternus ‘Variegata’	Variegated Italian Buckthorn

Podocarpus gracilior	Fern Pine