Privacy and screening trees for Boulder
Last updated 2026-06-05
Quick answer
10 privacy and screening trees for Boulder are ranked here for Boulder's specific conditions — drawn from the 2024 Front Range Tree Recommendation List and regional extension sources, then ordered for Boulder's local hazards. Compare them below.
For year-round privacy in Boulder, evergreens do the work that a deciduous tree can't — they hold their screen through the winter, right when bare branches would otherwise open the view. Boulder makes that harder than most Front Range towns: it sits at the foothills' edge around 5,430 feet and takes the region's most punishing downslope chinook winds, which can desiccate or topple a poorly sited evergreen. Add heavy alkaline clay and steady deer pressure from the open space, and the screen you plant has to be genuinely tough. Every tree below is an evergreen rated for the Front Range and ranked here for Boulder's wind, deer browse, and low-water reality, so it keeps its privacy without constant babying.
Planning a Boulder-area yard?
Free · no obligation · a real person reads every request
What this means in Boulder
Wind is the deciding factor in Boulder. Give a young evergreen screen a windfirm start — water it through the first winters to prevent needle desiccation, and protect the trunks from deer rub. Mixed plantings of a couple of species screen more reliably than a single-species row that one pest or storm could take out at once.
Top picks for Boulder
| Plant | Mature height | Water | Colorado native | Hardiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper — One – Seed | 10–20 ft | low water | Yes | USDA 3–8 |
| Juniper — Rocky Mountain | 15–30 ft | low water | Yes | USDA 3–8 |
| Cypress — Arizona Cypress | 30–50 ft | low water | — | USDA 7–10 |
| Cypress — Arizona Cypress 'Blue Ice', CRYSTAL FROST™ | 20–30 ft | low water | — | USDA 7–10 |
| Pine — Singleleaf Pinyon | 15–30 ft | low water | — | USDA 3–7 |
| Pine — 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' | 25–30 ft | low to medium water | Yes | USDA 4–7 |
| Douglas-fir — Rocky Mountain Douglas fir | 40–80 ft | medium water | Yes | USDA 4–6 |
| Fir — White | 50–80 ft | medium water | Yes | USDA 3–7 |
| Spruce — Colorado | 50–75 ft | medium to high water | Yes | USDA 2–7 |
| Spruce — Colorado Blue – BABY BLUE®, 'Baby Blue Eyes', 'Bakeri', 'Fastigiata', 'Fat Albert', 'Hoopsi', 'Colorado Weeping', 'Sester Dwarf' | 15–50 ft | medium to high water | Yes | USDA 2–7 |
Juniper — One – SeedJuniperus monosperma10–20 ftlow waterColorado nativeUSDA 3–8
Juniper — Rocky MountainJuniperus scopulorum15–30 ftlow waterColorado nativeUSDA 3–8
Cypress — Arizona CypressHesperocyparis arizonica30–50 ftlow waterUSDA 7–10- Cypress — Arizona Cypress 'Blue Ice', CRYSTAL FROST™Hesperocyparis arizonica20–30 ftlow waterUSDA 7–10
Pine — Singleleaf PinyonPinus monophylla15–30 ftlow waterUSDA 3–7
Pine — 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid'Pinus flexilis25–30 ftlow to medium waterColorado nativeUSDA 4–7
Douglas-fir — Rocky Mountain Douglas firPseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca40–80 ftmedium waterColorado nativeUSDA 4–6
Fir — WhiteAbies concolor50–80 ftmedium waterColorado nativeUSDA 3–7
Spruce — ColoradoPicea pungens50–75 ftmedium to high waterColorado nativeUSDA 2–7
Spruce — Colorado Blue – BABY BLUE®, 'Baby Blue Eyes', 'Bakeri', 'Fastigiata', 'Fat Albert', 'Hoopsi', 'Colorado Weeping', 'Sester Dwarf'Picea pungens glauca15–50 ftmedium to high waterColorado nativeUSDA 2–7
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best evergreen for a windy Boulder yard?
- Windfirm conifers adapted to the foothills do best. Favor species rated for exposure and water them through their first few winters to prevent the needle browning that chinook winds cause.
- How far apart should I plant a privacy screen?
- Space evergreens by their mature spread for a healthy screen — crowding them invites disease and bare lower branches. Each tree's page lists its mature size and recommended spacing.
- Will deer leave my privacy trees alone in Boulder?
- Most conifers are not a deer's first choice to eat, but bucks rub their antlers on young trunks. Protect new trees with trunk guards until the bark matures, especially near Boulder's open space.