Two Evergreen Plants That'll Make Hiding Your Outdoor Trash Cans Easier

There's an art to curating a beautiful home. It's one that, besides living in the rooms, extends to every nook of your home, including the outdoors. And yet, despite all our careful decorating, the sight of a trash can lurking at the edge of the driveway or beside the garage can feel like a thorn in an otherwise serene landscape. It pokes at your sense of order and reminds you that even the loveliest spaces can lose their charm to clutter. But just because you need a place for waste it doesn't mean your home aesthetics have to pay the price. You can easily hide outdoor trash cans by planting boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) and arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), two plants that offer continuous greenery and can act as outdoor privacy screens.

Now, you might be thinking, "Why not just throw up a fence or a screen?" And yes, that works. But it's the kind of project that may eat up weekends. Besides, it's static, it ages, and frankly, isn't as enchanting as a hedge. Planting a dense row of boxwood or arborvitae, on the other hand, only requires a bit of digging and some patience. With boxwood, you get a classic charm that responds beautifully to shaping, while Arborvitae offers vertical elegance and year-round coverage. Over time, these plants grow with your home and gently assert that aesthetics and function need not be at odds.

Hardy in zones 4 through 9, boxwood shrubs grow thick and lush, which means you can prune them into almost any shape, from classic rectangle to soft rounded edges. They're not just ground-bound either; you can grow them in containers and shuffle them around like green furniture. For planting, a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.8 to 7.5 is ideal. Dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and twice as wide, gently loosen the roots, and plant it a bit above soil level. Backfill with your garden soil and give it a generous watering. Boxwood loves sunlight, but if your afternoon gets blazing, let them catch a little shade.

Next up, arborvitae. Hardy in zones 2 through 7, these vertical wonders make outdoor trash cans way less of an eyesore. They thrive in full to partial sunlight and require ample space to grow tall. The soil should be in the 6 to 8 pH range, and if you're starting from smaller pots, keep them indoors for protection against frost or harsh sun. When new growth appears, move them to your garden. Dig a hole roughly twice the size of the root ball, set it in so the top peeks slightly above the soil, and continue watering weekly until the cold weather arrives. To give them a solid start for next spring, a slow-release fertilizer will do wonders. Over time, these evergreens will help you say goodbye to the eyesore of outdoor trash cans and become living accents that complement your entire outdoor space.