Plan the screen before you order

Privacy trees: costs & spacing

A small hedge and a row of mature evergreens are different jobs. Here are published numbers and the questions that make a quote useful.

Published cost ranges

Read 2026-11-15. National guides are broad estimates; nursery prices apply to that nursery, date and service area. Ask for a written quote that separates trees, delivery, planting, site prep, irrigation and warranty.

Angi

National average about $1,100; typical $900–$1,300
$10–$45 per linear foot; arborvitae $15–$35 per linear foot
60 ft at 5 ft tall: $1,000–$3,000; 100 ft at 6 ft or taller: $2,500–$6,000+

Source: How Much Do Hedges Cost? [2026 Data], updated 2026-10-15. Read 2026-11-15.

Angi

National average about $300 to plant one tree; most jobs $150–$2,000
Large (up to 20 ft): about $2,420; extra-large (over 20 ft): about $5,000

Source: How Much Does It Cost to Plant a Tree? [2026 Data], updated 2026-10-15. Read 2026-11-15.

HomeGuide

Privacy trees $150–$600 per tree
Five 6–7 ft trees (arborvitae, Leyland cypress, spruce): $750–$3,000
50 linear ft of 4–6 ft hedge: $750–$2,250

Source: Privacy Hedges Cost. Read 2026-11-15.

R&R Paradise Gardens (a listed nursery, PA/NJ)

Planting $30 per tree on Green Giant, Emerald Green and Leyland; tree and delivery extra; 10-tree minimum
Their 100 ft single-row examples at 5–6 ft: Green Giant 20 trees $3,000 with planting; Emerald Green 29 trees $4,640; Leyland 15 trees $2,550
Their spacing in those examples: Green Giant 5 ft, Emerald Green 3.5 ft, Leyland 7 ft

Source: Pricing (their official site, tracked link), updated 2026-09-09. Read 2026-11-15. See the listing.

Colorado Tree Farm Nursery (a listed nursery, Colorado Springs)

Per-tree planting charge for balled-and-burlapped evergreens, tree price extra: up to 6.5 ft $225; 8–8.5 ft $290; 10–10.5 ft $450; 12–16.5 ft $650; 17–20 ft $750
Planting includes delivery, digging, soil amendment, staking and cleanup; minimum planting charge $325 with any B&B tree; difficult sites are negotiated

Source: Planting or Delivery Charges 2026 (PDF) (their official site, tracked link), updated 2026. Read 2026-11-15. See the listing.

How far apart? The sources disagree.

There is no universal spacing number for “privacy trees.” Species, mature width, how soon you want the gap closed, pruning and airflow all matter. These are source recommendations, not a planting prescription for your lot.

Green Giant / Emerald Green / Leyland (single row): 5 ft / 3.5 ft / 7 ft in their 100 ft row examples. R&R Paradise Gardens pricing page (listed nursery).
Green Giant arborvitae: 5–6 ft apart for a screen. Arbor Day Foundation tree guide.
Green Giant arborvitae: at least about 8 ft apart (⅔ of minimum mature width); a full tree width from a fence or building. New York Botanical Garden research guide.
Emerald Green arborvitae: typically 5 ft on center; about 5–7 ft off the fence line in that example. Ask Extension answer.
Emerald Green arborvitae: 3–4 ft apart (Oregon hedge advice). Oregon State University Extension.

Simple row and budget estimator

Choose your own on-center spacing after discussing it with the installer. The default 5 ft is R&R’s Green Giant row example; it is not advice for every tree. Cost uses HomeGuide’s $150–$600 per privacy tree range, not mature tree-spade stock.

Sources for the defaults/range: R&R pricing and HomeGuide.

Trees that fit the local climate

Match the site, not just a hardiness-zone number. Sun, wind, soil drainage, water and mature width change the choice.

Colorado / Front Range

Lists Colorado-recommended evergreens with mature sizes, e.g. Colorado blue spruce 60′ × 25′, ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae 30′ × 15′, ‘Smaragd’ (Emerald) arborvitae 12′ × 4′, ‘Skyrocket’ Rocky Mountain juniper 15′ × 3′, Austrian pine ‘Arnold Sentinel’ 15′ × 5′
Most evergreens benefit from supplemental water during dry, warm or windy periods from November to March
Above 6,000 feet some listed plants are not adapted
Call 811 to mark underground lines before digging

CSU Extension, Evergreen Trees (fact sheet 7.403, reviewed Aug 2025). Read 2026-11-15.

Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas

Mature height 40–60 ft and width 12–18 ft; can grow 3–4 ft per year in good conditions
USDA zones 5a–8b; resists most diseases, insects, periodic drought and deer
Does not tolerate salt spray or salty soils

NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Thuja ‘Green Giant’. Read 2026-11-15.

Southeast

Grows 60–70 ft tall and 12–20 ft wide; 3–4 ft per year when young
Adapted to all of South Carolina and withstands salt spray
Canker and bagworms are its main problems; it usually grows larger than most people want

Clemson HGIC 1013, Leyland Cypress. Read 2026-11-15.

Denver Privacy Trees, our sister quote site, covers south Denver and the Front Range.

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