Gardening and Landscaping
Choose the right evergreen for your side yard’s light and limited width.
A narrow side yard makes privacy planting a space-planning problem. Choose for the plant’s mature width, not just the room it takes up in its nursery pot.
For a sunny, tight strip and a tall screen, consider a narrow arborvitae cultivar. Yew is often better suited to significant shade or a hedge that needs shaping.
Upright arborvitae cultivars can form a fairly uniform green wall. Yew has dense needles and branching that can be clipped, but its natural habit varies by cultivar.
Both plants vary widely in size: arborvitae can range from compact shrubs to trees over 30 feet, while some yews reach around 20 feet or more. Check cultivar dimensions.
Yew generally tolerates shade better, while many arborvitaes need several hours of direct sun to stay vigorous. Assess the actual light in the strip, including shade from walls and trees.
Water both plants steadily while they establish and during dry spells. Arborvitae can suffer in dry root zones; yew is more forgiving of clipping but dislikes persistently wet soil.
For a tall screen in a sunny strip, compare narrow upright arborvitaes. For partial shade or a formal clipped hedge, consider suitable yew cultivars and allow room for their spread.
Measure from the wall or fence to the path, then allow space for walking, building access and pruning. Most parts of yew are poisonous if eaten, so consider household safety.
Record the yard’s narrowest width, hours of direct sun, and maximum screen height and width. Compare those limits with named cultivars instead of relying on labels such as “dwarf.”
There is no universal winner: favor yew when shade or regular shaping matters, and compare upright arborvitae for a sunny, narrow screen. Confirm mature spread before planting.
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