Fast Growing Trees

In my circle of friends, I am considered to have a bit of a green thumb and am always being asked what types of fast growing trees I would recommend for their yards.  These are a few photos of the back of our property that I wanted to share because, to be honest, I am quite proud of how I incorporated some modern pool landscaping ideas amidst the lush greenery of the wooded area in the back of the lot.  When we first moved in a few years ago it was actually quite bare -- mostly grass and a few mature trees.  We planted a boarder of fast growing pine trees around what is now the pool deck in order to create the illusion of a denser forest than what is back there.

We recently bought this ranch style house out West and were hoping to find some fast growing trees that would fill in the landscaping around the backyard.  Obviously I understand that we are not going to get a gigantic mature tree over night, but I was actually quite impressed with how quickly these privacy trees shot up around the perimeter of the property.  When we first planted them they were about 10 feet tall and now, after only a year, they have nearly doubled in height.  I think that part of that can be attributed to good soil conditions and a lot of love and care from my husband and I.  The lovely gentleman at the nursery steered us towards, what he considered, the best fast growing evergreen trees and by god I think he was right!

If you are looking for fast growing trees like I was, I would definitely suggest an evergreen variety like these tall hedges we have around the perimeter of our backyard entertaining area.  We had heard that evergreens are some of the best trees for privacy because they stay pretty lush and full all year round (as opposed to losing their leaves in the fall and winter).  Boy was everybody right! With some good watering and fertilizing we were able to get these babies just about as tall as our house in no time.  Even better they are so lush and thick that you definitely cannot see anything on the other side of our faux fence.  I definitely would recommend looking into fast growing privacy trees like these if you want a more substantial and decorative alternative to a traditional fence. 

I just finished building my new home and it was hard to decide on the best landscaping plan. Since we just built, the greenery is very low outside and I wanted to plant some fast growing trees like river birch or arborvitae green giant. These trees can grow between two and three feet a year, which will leave the exterior of my house looking great. My house is simple on the outside so I was unsure of how to landscape. I decided on an arborvitae tree on either side of my front window for a beautiful way to accentuate the exterior. In addition to the trees, I wanted to include some shrubbery throughout my landscaping that was easy to maintain. Surrounding the pathway and trees we planted small bushes that are easily manicured.

I'm sure this is probably a silly question for all of you landscaping gurus out there, but my husband and I are trying to figure out some fast growing trees to buy that will give our backyard a lush mature look like this home has.  I know that it takes time to get these types of trees in your yard (or the money to buy them and transplant them) but I would definitely be open to suggestions for things we could do or species we could look into that may fill out quicker than others.  Our neighbors suggested trying fast growing hedges like holly or boxwoods in order to achieve a similar look, but we would really prefer the height that real trees gives.

Our landscaping firm primarily deals with up and coming areas where a lot of those "cookie cutter" houses are being built.  We are constantly being asked by new homeowners what types of fast growing trees they could by to fill in their very sparse yards.  It is always hilarious to me that they show me pictures like this features gorgeous mature oaks, bushes, flowers and dwarf trees for landscaping, thinking that they can achieve that look in a matter of months.  Unfortunately, my best advice is to give your yard some time and pick high quality plants that will thrive in your climate.  Fast growing shade trees such as red maples and cotton woods are a good option because they are a bit hardier and require less effort.