The 5 Best Privacy Trees for Connecticut Yards

Want to turn your Connecticut yard into a private retreat? The right trees don’t just add greenery – they create a natural barrier between you and the outside world. With the right planting, your outdoor space can feel more like a secluded sanctuary than a fishbowl.

If you’re ready to reclaim your space and enjoy more peace and privacy, here are the best privacy trees to plant in Southwest Connecticut.

Key Takeaways:

• Privacy trees offer a long-term, natural solution that enhances your landscape while reducing noise and blocking views – without the permitting hassles that often come with fences.
• Fences provide immediate privacy, but many homeowners find that combining fencing with trees gives the best of both worlds: instant coverage now, with a softer, more beautiful screen as trees mature.
• The best privacy trees for Connecticut include emerald green arborvitae, green giant arborvitae, dwarf Norwegian spruce, Leyland cypress, and native eastern red cedar – each suited to different yard sizes, aesthetics, and privacy needs.
• Choosing the right tree depends on your goals and site conditions – consider growth rate, height, deer resistance, sun exposure, and maintenance needs when selecting species.

Privacy Trees vs. Fences

When you’re ready to make your Connecticut yard feel more private, you’ve got a few solid options: privacy trees, a fence, or a combination of both.

Fences offer immediate privacy. Whether you install a 6-foot or 8-foot fence (depending on local regulations), you’ll instantly block views. However, many homeowners feel that a solid fence can make their backyard feel boxed in or sterile—more like a cage than a sanctuary.

Privacy trees, on the other hand, take time to grow but provide a softer, more natural look that blends with the landscape. While they won’t offer full privacy right away, they’ll grow into beautiful, living walls that also reduce noise and add value to your property.

In many Connecticut towns, privacy trees can also be installed without permits, while fences often require municipal approval, setback compliance, or HOA sign-off.

For many homeowners, the ideal solution is a combination of both: a well-placed fence for immediate privacy and safety, paired with thoughtfully chosen trees that will mature over time to soften the space, enhance the view, and create a more inviting, natural environment. It’s an investment in both comfort and curb appeal – and it all starts with choosing the right trees for your yard.

From Exposed to Enclosed: The Best Trees for Privacy

Privacy trees act as living walls – blocking sightlines, reducing noise, and transforming cookie-cutter yards into peaceful, personalized escapes. Whether you’re trying to screen off neighbors, soften road noise, or keep your living room shielded from passersby, these trees offer a beautiful solution.

1. Emerald Green Arborvitae

Emerald green arborvitae is the quintsential privacy tree for Connecticut homeowners, and for good reason.

This compact evergreen grows to a manageable 12-15 feet tall while maintaining a slim 3–4-foot width, making it perfect for smaller yards or creating tight privacy screens. Its rich green foliage stays vibrant year-round, ensuring your privacy doesn’t disappear when winter arrives.

It’s a great option because it’s:

• Naturally resistant to our cold winters after establishment
• Creates a uniform, no-gap screen when pl Requires minimal pruning compared to faster growing alternatives
• · Maintains lower branches even as it matures, unlike many other evergreens

Plant these trees in well-draining soil with full to partial sun for best results. Many Fairfield County homeowners choose emerald green arborvitae for creating defined outdoor rooms within their landscapes, as their neat appearance works with nearly any home style.

Left photo: Arborvitae, Thuja spp. | Jason Sharman, Vitalitree, Bugwood.org; Right photo – young arborvitae on a private property

2. Green Giant Arborvitae

When you need privacy fast, green giant arborvitae is the tree for you. This vigorous evergreen can grow 3-5 feet per year under ideal conditions, quickly creating the tall screen many Connecticut homeowners want.

Unlike its emerald green cousin, green giants reach heights of 30-40 feet with a spread of 15-20 feet at maturity, making them ideal for larger properties or when you need to block views from multi-story neighboring homes, ugly power lines, or commercial buildings.

These privacy trees are great because:

• They’re highly resistant to deer browsing, a major advantage in wooded areas of Fairfield and New Haven counties
• They tolerate a variety of soil conditions
• They maintain their pyramidal shape without pruning or shearing
• They can handle heavy snow loads without breaking or splitting

The adaptability of this privacy tree makes it suitable for most Connecticut locations. It thrives in full sun but tolerates partial shade, though growth may slow slightly in less sunny spots. While green giants require more space between trees (about 8 feet) than smaller varieties, they fill in relatively fast to create an effective screen.

For homeowners who want substantial privacy without waiting a decade, green giant arborvitae offers the perfect balance of speed, durability, and height.

L-R: Norwegian spruce | John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org; juvenile Norwegian spruce growing on a property

3. Norwegian Spruce (Dwarf Varieties)

Looking for privacy with character? Dwarf Norwegian spruce varieties offer a distinctive appearance compared to the common arborvitae options.

These compact conifers provide effective screening while adding visual interest with their distinctive drooping branches and rich green to blue-green needles. Depending on the specific dwarf variety, they typically mature at 8-12 feet tall with a similar spread, creating dense privacy screens with a softer, more natural appearance.

These are a great choice for a handful of reasons:

• Extremely hardy in Connecticut’s climate zones, handling winter conditions effortlessly
• Distinctive drooping branches create a cascading, textural appearance that becomes the perfect backdrop in your landscape
• Dense branching structure blocks views effectively even in winter

These spruce varieties thrive throughout Connecticut, particularly in New Haven County where they handle the slightly colder inland temperatures beautifully. They prefer full sun but tolerate light shade, and adapt to most soil types as long as drainage is adequate.

Plant these evergreens about 6 feet apart to allow for their wider growth habit. While they don’t create the formal “wall” look of arborvitae, their natural form provides effective screening with a more woodland aesthetic that many Connecticut homeowners prefer for a less structured landscape design.

4. Leyland Cypress

For Connecticut homeowners seeking rapid privacy with a touch of elegance, Leyland cypress is another good option.

This fast-growing evergreen can shoot up 3-4 feet annually in its early years, quickly creating an effective screen between your home and neighboring properties, roads, and parking lots. Mature trees reach heights of 40-60 feet with a width of 15-20 feet if left unpruned, though they respond well to maintenance trimming.

More reasons to love this privacy tree:

• Soft, feathery foliage creates a more graceful appearance than many other evergreens
• Extremely quick establishment compared to most privacy options
• Tolerates Connecticut’s varying soil conditions remarkably well
• Creates one of the densest visual barriers available among privacy trees

While these trees offer fast results, they do require more attention than some alternatives. Regular pruning is essential to maintain density and prevent them from becoming too tall.

Left photo: Eastern red cedar | John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org; Right photo: Close-up image of the fruit and needles of the Red eastern cedar

5. Eastern Red Cedar

Want a privacy option that truly belongs in the Connecticut landscape? Eastern red cedar is one of the few native evergreen trees that excels as a privacy screen.

This Connecticut native reaches heights of 20-40 feet with a spread of 8-15 feet at maturity. Its natural pyramid shape and dense branching create effective screening, while its deep connection to local ecosystems adds ecological value most imported privacy trees can’t match.

What makes eastern red cedar an outstanding choice for Connecticut properties:

• A native species perfectly adapted to local climate and soil conditions
• Exceptional drought tolerance once established, requiring minimal watering
• Provides food and shelter for local birds and wildlife
• Develops attractive reddish-brown bark as it matures, adding winter interest

Eastern red cedar thrives throughout Connecticut, handling our cold winters and humid summers with ease. The only significant maintenance concern is possible bagworm infestations <https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/bagworm-moth/>, which can be managed with simple hand removal if spotted early.

FAQs About Privacy Trees in Connecticut

How fast will privacy trees grow in Connecticut?

Growth rates vary by species, with Leyland cypress growing up to 3-4 feet per year while arborvitae averages 1-2 feet annually.

What’s the best time to plant privacy trees in Connecticut?

Early fall (September-October) is the ideal time to plant, giving roots time to establish before winter without summer heat stress. Spring is also a great time to plant. Just be sure trees get enough water in the summer as their roots get established.

Will privacy trees damage my home’s foundation?

Not if they’re planted correctly. Most of the best privacy trees have non-invasive root systems and pose little to no risk to your home’s foundation – as long as they’re planted at a safe distance of 10 to 15 feet from the structure. Choosing the right species and following proper spacing guidelines is key to enjoying privacy without future issues.

Need to Clear Space for Privacy Trees? Call Rayzor’s Edge for Expert Tree Removal & Cleanup

The right privacy trees can transform your exposed yard into a secluded retreat while potentially boosting your property’s value and ecological impact (in a good way). Taking action now means you’ll be enjoying the beauty and seclusion of mature privacy screening within just a few seasons.

And if you need to clear space for your new privacy trees, then work with the experienced team at Rayzor’s Edge Tree Service. We can help you safely remove unwanted or dying trees to make room for your new privacy screen, or fence installation. Call us at 203-258-5584 or fill out our online form to request an estimate.