If you’re looking for the best privacy hedges in Ontario, the plant you choose will determine how quickly you actually get privacy—and whether it survives winter at all.
Ontario isn’t forgiving. Between wind, freeze-thaw cycles, and heavy snow, you need hedges that are proven to hold up here—not just “recommended” online.
Below are the ones that consistently work.
The Shortlist (If You Just Want the Answer)
- Eastern White Cedar
- Emerald Cedar
- Green Giant Thuja
- Privet
- Spruce (Norway or White)
Each one has a place depending on your lot, budget, and how fast you want privacy.
Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
This is still the standard for a reason. You’ll see it listed across suppliers like NVK Nurseries under their cedar inventory, including Eastern White Cedar listings.
- Grows about 1–2 feet per year
- Handles winter extremely well
- Fills in nicely when planted properly
If someone asks me for a safe recommendation without overthinking it, this is usually it.
Where people go wrong is spacing. If you plant them too far apart, you’re waiting years for privacy. I typically recommend 2–3 feet on center, depending on how quickly you want them to knit together.
A couple things to keep in mind:
- Deer will go after them in some areas
- The first year or two of watering makes or breaks the hedge
Emerald Cedar
You see these everywhere in newer subdivisions, often sold as Emerald Cedar (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’).
They’re tighter, more uniform, and don’t need as much shaping. If you like a cleaner, more architectural look, they’re a good option.
- Slower growing than standard cedar
- Typically reaches around 4–5m tall and stays narrow
- Holds colour well, though can bronze slightly in winter
The tradeoff is time. They take longer to create a full screen, and they cost more upfront. But if you’re patient, they look sharper.
Green Giant Thuja
If speed is your priority, this is hard to beat.
In the right conditions, they can put on 2–3 feet of growth per year, which means you’re looking at real privacy in a few seasons—not a decade.
That said, they’re not for every yard.
- They get big—very big
- Need proper spacing (5–6 feet)
- Don’t love exposed, windy sites when young
I only recommend these when there’s actually room for them to grow properly. In a tight suburban backyard, they’ll eventually become a problem.
Privet
This one gets overlooked, but it has its place.
Privet grows quickly and is easy to shape, which makes it useful if you’re trying to build a hedge on a tighter budget.
- Fast growth
- Responds well to trimming
- More flexible in terms of shaping
The downside is consistency. In harsher winters, it can lose some leaves, so you won’t always get a perfect year-round screen.
Still, for the price, it can be a practical option in the right spot.
Spruce (Norway or White)
If you’ve got space, spruce creates one of the best natural privacy screens you can get.
They’re dense, tough, and block views properly—not just visually soften them.
- Extremely hardy
- Thick branching structure
- Works well as a long-term screen
But they need room. This isn’t something you squeeze along a property line and hope for the best. When they’re done right, though, they outperform almost everything else.
Spacing Matters More Than People Think
Spacing is where most hedges go wrong.
- 2 feet apart → fastest privacy, denser hedge
- 3 feet apart → more balanced approach
- 5–6 feet → only for large varieties like Green Giant
Too far apart, and you’re staring at gaps for years. Too tight, and they compete with each other.
If your goal is privacy, don’t try to stretch your plant count too far—it usually backfires.
What Actually Survives Here
Ontario winters aren’t just about temperature. It’s the combination of:
- Wind exposure
- Snow load
- Freeze-thaw cycles
- Salt (especially in front yards)
That’s why cedars and spruce show up over and over again—they’ve proven themselves in these conditions.
A Few Things That Make a Big Difference
From experience, a hedge usually succeeds or fails based on a few simple things:
- Water deeply during the first couple of seasons
- Add mulch to stabilize soil moisture
- Protect from wind if the site is exposed
- Don’t go too small with plant size if you want faster results
None of this is complicated, but skipping it is where problems start.
Cost (Rough Ontario Numbers)
- 3–4 ft cedars: $25–$50
- 5–6 ft: $60–$120
- 7–8 ft: $150+
Most people underestimate total cost because they don’t account for how many plants they actually need once spacing is done properly.
Final Thoughts
If you want something reliable that works almost everywhere, Eastern White Cedar is still the safest choice.
If you’re after a cleaner look and don’t mind waiting, Emerald Cedar is worth it.
And if speed matters more than anything—and you’ve got the space—Green Giant Thuja can get you there faster than anything else on this list.