Plants in tubs not only look beautiful on the terrace or balcony, they can also have another benefit, namely a protective one. Tall potted plants in particular can serve as privacy screens and also offer a certain amount of protection from winds. If you’re looking for just that in a potted plant, you’ve come to the right place, because we list some specimens that can grow quite tall.
Which plants as a privacy screen for the terrace and balcony?
Tall potted plants are not only attractive but also useful. Depending on the type of plant and the final size of the selected plant, you can not only use them as solitary plants, but also combine them with other flowers to create interesting, decorative arrangements. In order to be able to serve as a privacy screen, a growth height of at least 120 cm is recommended. We have a few ideas for you for sunny and non-sunny locations, with flowers or even evergreen and hardy varieties that also protect from prying eyes in winter.
Tall pot plants that are hardy and evergreen
The following plants are evergreen and hardy and also protect from looks in winter:
The Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) as outdoor potted plants
The firethorn is best known for its bright berries in autumn and will therefore still delight you with its colors during this time. The plant can grow 2 to 3 meters high.
The medlar (Photinia fraseri) for hardy tub plants, flowering
The red medlars are popular tub plants that do not grow tall, but also impress with white flowers. Also very attractive are the fresh shoot tips, which always appear red before turning green. The plant can grow up to 3 meters high.
Tall potted plants – the barberry (Berber Juliana)
The flowers of the barberry bloom in yellow and that already in May. The 2 to 3 meter high shrubs are hardy container plants for the blazing sun, which impress with their particularly dense growth. With barberries you also get quite undemanding potted plants.
Dwarf silver cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera)
Dwarf silver cypresses are high-growing tub plants that can even grow up to 4 meters high, are evergreen and impress with their conical growth. Placed side by side, you get a perfect privacy screen with several copies.
Tall potted plants – the tree of life (Thuja)
Also evergreen and suitable as a privacy screen is the thuja, which is often chosen as a hedge plant. But it also cuts a fine figure alone in the tub. The varieties ‘Rheingold’ and ‘Sunkist’ are particularly suitable and recommended for planting in tubs. The former grows more spherically, while Sunkist has a conical growth and also differs slightly in color. However, both can grow up to 4 meters high.
Tall potted plants for the summer season
If you don’t care about having a winter privacy screen, you can also opt for varieties that aren’t evergreen but will survive the winter as they shed their leaves and then do their job again the next season. Which ones are recommended?
The panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
This flowering shrub is not only popular in the garden, it can also thrive in pots, where it reaches a height of 2 to 2.5 metres. If you would like to get a privacy screen from shrubs, you can consider this hydrangea. We certainly don’t need to mention that the flowers are simply a dream. In addition, the leaves grow very dense and are therefore perfectly hidden from view.
The dwarf lilac (Meyer’s syringe)
In principle, all varieties in small format are suitable, but we would like to particularly recommend the dwarf lilac ‘Palibin’, which is not a very tall container plant with a height of one meter, but is nevertheless very popular and can be combined with other plants (e.g. tall grass). The normal dwarf lilac grows a little taller (120 to 150 cm). Either way, you will be rewarded with a rich and fragrant bloom for good care.
The Magnificent Pier (Spiraea vanhouttei) for the penumbra
The splendor pier is somewhat more compact with a height of 1.5 to 2.5 meters and lush flowers in summer. They are quite undemanding when it comes to location, which makes them perfect as flowering container plants for the shade. The flowers look like feathers and appear for a long period between June and September.
Tall pot plants for the trellis
If you are looking for climbing plants that can climb your trellis from the tub, then the clematis and climbing rose are ideal. These specimens can grow up to 3 meters high and adorn the privacy screen with a dense growth of leaves, but also with magnificent flowers in summer. They are ideal as container plants for the terrace in full sun (preferably on the west side).
Other hardy plants as a privacy screen from the neighbors
The following specimens are also high-growing potted plants that survive the winter in the pot without any problems and will enhance the terrace and balcony:
- Chokeberry ‘Viking’ (Aronia x prunifolia ‘Viking’)
- Bamboo
- Bergkiefer (Pinus mugo)
- Chinese reed (Miscanthus)
- Chinese Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
- fan maple (Maple palmate)
- Common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
- love pearl bush (Callicarpa bodinieri)
- Sweet weigela ‘Purpurea’ (Weigela florida ‘Purpurea’)
- snow forsythia (Abeliophyllum distichum)