The Best Cedar for a Privacy Hedge in Ottawa
For most Ottawa privacy hedges the choice is between three forms of the same native tree, eastern white cedar: Emerald (Smaragd) for a narrow, tidy hedge, Brandon for a taller screen that fills in faster, and field-grown white cedar for long runs on a budget. All three are hardy here and keep their foliage all winter. The right one depends on how tall you need the hedge, how much yard it can take up, and how soon you want privacy.
Why cedar is the default privacy hedge here
Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is native to eastern Ontario. It handles Ottawa winters, tolerates heavy and damp soils better than most evergreens, and takes yearly trimming well. Because it keeps its foliage through the winter, it screens a yard in January as well as it does in July.
It also has one practical advantage over a fence: municipal fence rules cap how tall a fence can be, but a hedge can be grown and kept at the height your yard actually needs.
Emerald cedar (Smaragd)
Emerald is the narrow, bright green cedar you see in most new subdivisions. It grows as a slim pyramid and naturally stays compact, which makes it the easiest hedge to keep neat along a driveway, a walkway or a small lot.
The trade-offs: it grows more slowly than the other two, it usually tops out lower, and its dense, upright branches can splay open under heavy wet snow. It is the right choice when space is tight and a clean, formal look matters more than a very tall screen.
Brandon cedar
Brandon is a cold-hardy selection with a slightly broader, darker green form. It grows faster and taller than Emerald, so it closes gaps sooner and makes a better screen where you need height, for example against a two-storey neighbour.
It takes a little more width, so leave room for it when you plan the row, and plan on trimming it every year to keep it from getting away from you.
Field-grown white cedar
Field-grown or native white cedar is the same species dug from open fields. It is the least expensive per foot and grows vigorously, which is why it is common on long rural and back-lot runs.
It is also the most variable. Field cedars are often thin at the base and uneven from tree to tree, so a new hedge can look patchy until yearly trimming thickens it. That is the reason Hedge King plants fully cultivated cedars, grown and pruned on a cedar farm for density, rather than spindly field stock. See hedge planting for how we do it.
How to choose
A quick way to narrow it down:
- Small lot, driveway or walkway edge, formal look: Emerald.
- Need real height quickly, more room to spare: Brandon.
- Long run, budget matters most, patience for it to fill in: field-grown white cedar.
- Wet or heavy clay soil: any eastern white cedar, which handles damp ground better than most hedging evergreens.
- Full shade all day: reconsider cedar. Cedars need about six hours of sun a day or the shaded side thins out.
Whatever you plant, the first two years decide the hedge
Variety matters less than planting and aftercare. Spacing, soil preparation and steady watering in the first two seasons are what separate a hedge that knits together from one with permanent gaps. Our guides to cedar hedge spacing and year-round cedar hedge care cover both.
Frequently asked questions
Which cedar grows fastest for privacy?
Brandon and field-grown white cedar grow faster and taller than Emerald cedar. Emerald stays narrower and neater but takes longer to reach privacy height.
Do cedar hedges stay green in winter?
Yes. Eastern white cedars keep their foliage through the winter, so they give year-round privacy. Some older inner foliage turns brown and drops each fall, which is normal.
Can cedars grow in shade?
Cedars need about six hours of sunlight a day. In heavy shade they thin out and the shaded side of the hedge goes bare.