How to identify Cypress screening plant?

alex27

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what type plant is this on the photo?

I have several of them in my backyard, each about 2 meters tall. How good are they for creating screening and privacy if planted around the fence line? How fast do they grow? I am considering to purchase more of them.

Are there better and faster growing alternatives that can reach 3 meters in few years?

JacobZ

Hi @alex27,

That appears to be a Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens 'Glauca'), which is often referred to as a Pencil Pine.

At around 2 metres tall already, your plants are still young and can continue to grow steadily, often 30 to 60 centimetres per year in good conditions. While they can be used for screening, the classic columnar form stays quite narrow, so they need to be planted fairly close together, for example 50-60cm apart, to create a solid privacy barrier. They are better suited to creating a vertical accent or a formal row rather than a thick, wide hedge

If your main goal is to achieve a dense 3 metre screen within a few years, there are faster and fuller growing alternatives. Lilly pilly varieties are a very popular choice for privacy hedging as they grow quickly, respond well to pruning, and develop thick foliage from top to bottom. Viburnum odoratissimum is another strong option, producing rapid growth and broad leaves that create an effective visual barrier. Photinia's can also provide relatively quick coverage while adding seasonal colour or flowers. These alternatives generally thicken up faster than Mediterranean cypress and are easier to shape into a solid hedge.

To summarise, Mediterranean cypress can work for screening if you prefer a tall, narrow, architectural look and are prepared to plant them closely and maintain them lightly. However, if your priority is the quickest and densest privacy screen to reach around 3 metres in height within a few years, broader leaf hedging plants such as lilly pilly or viburnum may be more practical choices. The best option ultimately depends on your available space, climate, and the overall look you would like to achieve.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob