(Also, to the extent that native plants are not a complete solution to the height/speed problem, we would also welcome tips on other non-native evergreen species that would support the growth of natives in the row behind them).  Thank you!

Hello and thanks for your question. Planting natives is a great idea, as they are already adapted to our area, and the birds and insects love them. Once these shrubs are well-established, they are the best low-maintenance selections for a privacy hedge

Evergreen bushes growing to about 6-12 Ft include:

• Ilex glabra (Inkberry Holly) 
• Kalmia Latifolia (Mountain Laurel)
• Leucothoe axillaris (Coastal Doghobble)
• Myrica (Morella) cerifera (Southern Bayberry)
• Myrica (Morella) pensylvanica (Northern Bayberry
• Rhododendron maximum (Great Rhododendron)
• Inberry, Ilex glabra

• Highbush blueberry, vaccinium corymbosum Atlantic - sun-part shade
• Mountain Laurel, Kalmia Latifolia - part shade
• Strawberry bush, Euonymus americanus (4-6 foot), part shade
• Arrowwood Viburnum, viburnum dentatum, sun to part shade
• 
  
• Winterberry, Ilex verticillate, sun to part shade
• Sweet pepperbush, clethra alnifolia, sun to part shade

Smaller bushes (up to 3 foot) include

• Dwarf Fotergilla, Fothergilla gardenii 
• Black Chokecherry, Aronia melancocarpa

Here is a good listing, although for Virginia, which is pretty much applicable to the DC area too. UMD has a terrific list on their site at https://extension.umd.edu/resource/plants-mixed-privacy-screens/ with information about how to plant a screen, including to mix various plants in the hedge to attract various wildlife, and minimize pests. And here's another good source about planting native plants from the Maryland Native Plant Society

I hope this informations, and wish you great success with your native privacy screen! Let us know if you want further information. Happy gardening.

Lesley

DC master gardener

Dear Lesley - thanks so much for the helpful list.  Among the evergreens listed below, could you tell me about their growth rates? We have no screen right now so are eager to fill the gap quickly - including with non-natives if that's the only option (i.e. we'd like to be at 5 ft in 1-2 years) - and then natives in the row behind.
Also, I noticed mountain laurel is listed as both evergreen and deciduous so hoping you can tell me whether it behaves more like one or the other.  Thank you again!!

Dear Michael, Thanks for getting back to us. I was moving stuff around and forgot to remove the Mountain laurel from the deciduous list. It is an evergreen that does best in part shade. It has lovely flowers with deep green leathery foliage (it’s related to rhododendrons). It grows slowly, though, 4-8 feet in a decade so might not meet your needs just now. And I mixed up the Bayberries as well, as they are deciduous. Sorry about that.

• Inkberry is a slow grower, easy to grow, deer resistant, and can spread through root suckers to form a colony
• Coastal Doghobble, leucothoe axillaris, grows at about 8-12 inches per year. It’s very pretty, but is toxic to humans and pet
• Great a Rhododendron grows at a medium rate in part shade. It can spread to form a dense thicket . They like acid soil (pH between 4.5and 6)

In my own garden, I find that buying larger plants fills in the gaps faster, though these are typically more expensive than the smaller plants.

I hope this helps.  Please write in again if you have more questions 

Lesley

Thank you, Lesley!  I did have one more follow-up question: would any of the following trees/shrubs also be suitable to the local climate, have fast growth rates, and be good 'neighbors" to the native plants next to them:

Green Giant ArborvitaeGreen Giant Arborvitae

1. American arborvitae 
2. green giant arborvitae (too high?  can it be pruned?  if not, is there a shorter option?)
3. holly like nellie Stevens?
4. cherry laurel
5. skip laurel
6. Portuguese laurel
7. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata ‘Virescens’ )
8. wax myrtle

Thank you!

Another member of our Master Gardener team adding on here!

Could we add a “near native, “ Yaupon Holly,” Ilex  vomitoria, for consideration? Unfortunate name refers to its caffeine containing leaves used as a tea and as medicine.

Its native SE range includes Virginia in the northern part, however, there is some shifting in ranges as plants respond to climate changes.

It is evergreen, thornless, fast-growing, responds to pruning or can be allowed to grow. Height varies by site, but 10-15’ is typical, can grow taller if unpruned

Popular as a hedge, barrier, topiary, windbreak, etc.  It can be pruned up to a multi-stem small tree shape, too. Full sun to part shade, dry to wet soil once established, easy to grow, fragrant flowers. The females produce an attractive berry with wildlife value and winter interest if a male plant is nearby.

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c771

Cons:  Perhaps less so than Wax Myrtle, cedar & arborvitae, but this evergreen is flammable so caution is recommended in site selection, especially in fire-prone  areas.

Thank you for the feedback!  Very helpful!  If we would like to avoid a monoculture privacy screen (to make it more resilient/have greater wildlife value), and intersperse different species together, would the ones below "get along" well or are there any you would recommend striking from the list (and if so why - is it the soil requirements, etc.):

Green Giant ArborvitaeGreen Giant Arborvitae

1. Juniper
2. American arborvitae
3. green giant arborvitae  
4. holly like nellie Stevens
5. Yaupon Holly
6. cherry laurel
7. skip laurel
8. Portuguese laurel
9. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata ‘Virescens’ )
10. wax myrtle

Thank you again!

Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Red Cedar usually grows as a tree and can reach 65’ high with a spread up to 25’, so it would require regular pruning. Might be more practical to choose a smaller tree, especially keeping in mind that good air flow can be important for plant health for many trees. There are some dual-host rusts such as Cedar-Apple Rust that affects fruit of apples, service berries, etc. , something to keep in mind when choosing trees.

Thuja occidentalis, American Arborvitae, is a popular native evergreen tree that can handle urban settings, clay soil and does not host rusts such as Cedar-Apple. Per North Carolina extension, it does better in moist, but well-drained soil than dry soil, and makes a nice hedge. Thuja plicata, Western Red Cedar, could struggle in our hot, humid summers.

Prunus laurocerasus, Cherry Laurel and the Skip (Schipkaensis) cultivar are non-native evergreens often used for hedges. As is Portuguese Laurel, which reportedly has a more spreading habit. Ilex Nellie Stevens is a evergreen holly with a shrub or a tree habit with glossy spineThis cultivar is female, a hybrid of two non-native hollies and  as is typical with hollies, is best planted with a male nearby. Alternatively,  

Ilex glabra, Inkberry Holly is a native plant that is similar to the others, but is both adapted to our hot, humid summers and benefits wildlife, which would add interest to the hedge. Glabras leaves are evergreen and glossy, without the spines of some other hollies, a big plus when pruning! Female plants bear fruit if a male is nearby, like many hollies.

Morella cerifera, Wax Myrtle, is an attractive evergreen noted for its fragrance. It may adapt to very low temperatures by losing its leaves in the northern areas of its range. Wonderful for screening, can be pruned as a hedge. Also consider Morella caroliniensis, Southern  Bayberry, which has larger glossy leaves and a fuller habit than cerifera. Both handle our hot, humid summers, bear white berries for winter interest, are sized for hedges but can also be pruned, and benefit wildlife.

This extensive guide is a free and online source for finding plants adapted to our area: https://dnr.maryland.gov/criticalarea/Documents/chesapeakenatives.pdf

Please keep us posted!

DC Master Gardener team

Hope these links have been useful! Let us know if you have any further questions.

Thanks!