Fast-Growing Hedging Plants for UK Gardens

The fastest hedges for UK gardens are Leyland cypress, western red cedar, laurel and privet, with Photinia, beech and hornbeam not far behind. The best one for you depends on more than speed. Think about how tall you want it, how often you’re happy to trim, and your soil and weather.

The RHS guide to choosing hedges makes a good point: the faster a hedge grows, the more trimming it needs. Below are ten good choices, how far apart to plant them, and how long they take to make a screen. Once you’ve chosen, our hedge planting guide shows you how to plant them.

How to read hedge growth rates

Think of growth speeds as a rough guide, not a promise. Soil, wind, plant size, watering and trimming all make a difference. Even a fast hedge can sit still in its first year while it grows roots.

Use the table to see which hedges are quicker than others, then check the plant label for the variety you buy. Formal hedges need trimming once, twice or three times a year depending on the plant.

Photinia ‘Red Robin’ puts out its brightest red shoots after a trim.

The Top 10 Fast-Growing Hedging Plants

Here’s how the top choices compare.

Leylandii: Fastest Growth, Highest Maintenance

Leylandii (x Cuprocyparis leylandii) is the fastest hedging conifer you can buy. It needs well-drained soil and plenty of room to get at it for trimming.

The catch is the upkeep. Without at least two trims a year, in early summer and late summer, it gets bare at the bottom and can quickly get too tall. Neighbours can complain to the council about evergreen hedges over 2m that block their light, and the council can order you to cut it down.

Plant bare-root Leylandii from November, about 60-90cm apart. When it gets close to the height you want, cut the top out so it bushes out lower down. Never cut back into old brown wood, as it won’t grow back.

Thuja Plicata ‘Atrovirens’: The Leylandii Alternative

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’) is a dense, dark green alternative to Leylandii. It grows nearly as fast in a good spot, though wind and a dry first summer will slow it down. The leaves smell lovely and fruity when you brush them.

Its big advantage is that it’s easier to keep in check. It stays dense right down to the base and takes regular trimming well. Like most conifers, it won’t reliably regrow from old bare wood, so trim little and often rather than letting it get away from you.

Why choose Thuja: It makes a thick evergreen screen and is easier to keep tidy than Leylandii. Check how wide it will get, how well your soil drains and whether you can reach both sides to trim.

Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’ makes a dense evergreen screen when trimmed evenly.

Cherry Laurel: The Glossy Evergreen Workhorse

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is one of the most popular evergreen hedges in the UK. It grows fast, has big glossy leaves, and puts up with hard cutting. Bees love its white flower spikes in spring.

It needs more space than most hedges. Plant two per metre. Trim with secateurs or loppers rather than a hedge trimmer, which shreds the big leaves and leaves brown edges. The leaves and berries are poisonous, so don’t let children or pets chew them.

‘Rotundifolia’ is a good variety for hedging, as it grows thick and bushy. Skip ‘Otto Luyken’ for a tall hedge, as it stays low.

Privet: The Cheapest Fast Hedge

Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) is the budget choice. Plant four per metre. It keeps most of its leaves in the south but drops more of them in colder areas. Our privet hedge care guide covers pruning and bringing an old one back.

It needs more trimming than anything else here. Three cuts a year, around June, July and September, keep it tight. Left alone, it shoots up and goes thin and leggy. It copes with shade better than most fast hedges, which is why it’s the classic front hedge on Victorian terraces.

For a golden hedge, try ‘Aureum’. It’s a little slower but brightens a dark corner.

Photinia ‘Red Robin’: The Showpiece Hedge

Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ has the brightest red new shoots of any hedge. Each summer trim brings a fresh red flush that lasts a few weeks before turning glossy green.

It’s a bit tender. Cold, drying wind and late frost can damage it, so it does best in a sheltered spot. On exposed northern or east-coast sites, Thuja or beech are safer bets.

Plant pot-grown plants about three per metre, as bare-root Photinia is hard to find.

Pyracantha: The Wildlife Defence Hedge

Pyracantha does three jobs at once. It has white spring flowers for bees, orange-red berries from autumn into winter for blackbirds and thrushes, and nasty thorns that keep intruders out. The ‘Saphyr’ varieties have good disease resistance.

Plant three per metre. Wear thick leather gloves to plant and trim it.

It copes with the hot, dry soil at the foot of a south-facing wall, which beech, hornbeam and Photinia all hate. For security and wildlife, nothing else here comes close.

Escallonia and Portugal Laurel: The Coastal Pair

Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’ is the best fast hedge for seaside gardens. It shrugs off salt spray and has pink and white flowers through summer. It’s not the hardiest, so avoid very cold, exposed spots.

Portugal laurel (Prunus lusitanica) is cherry laurel’s smarter cousin, with smaller, darker leaves on red stalks. It looks neater in a formal garden. Plant two per metre.

Cherry laurel’s big glossy leaves make a broad evergreen screen.

Beech and Hornbeam: The Native Choices

Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) are the two best native hedges. Both hang on to their dead leaves through winter when trimmed as a hedge, so they screen all year even though they’re deciduous.

Bare-root plants are much cheaper than pot-grown ones and are sold in the dormant season.

Handy tip: Beech likes free-draining soil, while hornbeam copes better with heavy or wet ground. Don’t plant either into a waterlogged hole.

Beech holds its copper-brown leaves until spring, giving cover all winter.

Fargesia Rufa: The Safe Bamboo Screen

Fargesia rufa is a clumping bamboo, so it stays where you put it. Running bamboos like many Phyllostachys are a different story. Their roots can travel a long way, pop up under paving and cross into next door’s garden. For other soft screening ideas, see these bamboo alternatives for garden privacy.

Plant one Fargesia per metre and mulch it well for the first two summers. For tree-based screening, see our guide to the best trees for privacy in UK gardens.

Fargesia rufa stays in a neat clump, with a modern look that suits paving and decking.

Bare-Root vs Container: The Cost Reality

Bare-root plants are dug up from the field in winter and sold without soil while they’re dormant. Pot-grown plants are available all year. For a long hedge, bare-root is far cheaper, often a fraction of the price.

Small bare-root plants settle in well if you plant them while dormant and water them through their first summer.

Spacing and Plants Per Metre

Get the spacing wrong and you either waste plants or wait years for gaps to close. For a thicker hedge, plant a zigzag double row with plants 40cm apart and the rows 30cm apart.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Fast Hedge

1. Choosing speed over sense. Leylandii sounds perfect until you realise it needs trimming twice a year, every year. For most gardens, Thuja or laurel is the wiser long-term pick. Think about the trimming in 20 years’ time, not just the first three.

2. Buying pot-grown when bare-root is available. Bare-root is far cheaper and settles in well. Only buy pot-grown hedging if you have to plant outside November to March.

3. Planting right up against a fence. Plant at least 60cm in from a fence. Hedges need light and air on both sides to stay thick at the bottom, and you need room to trim the back.

Privet needs two or three trims a year to stay thick, usually around June, July and September.

4. Ignoring drainage. Beech, Photinia and Leylandii hate waterlogged ground. On heavy or wet soil, hornbeam is a safer choice.

5. Trimming without checking for nests. Birds mostly nest from March to August, but can nest outside that time too. It’s against the law to damage an active nest, so check the hedge carefully and wait if one is in use.

Month-by-Month Hedge Care Calendar

Buying Bare-Root vs Container Plants

Specialist hedging nurseries usually have the widest choice of bare-root plants and the best prices for long runs. Order in autumn for delivery from November.

Check plants as soon as they arrive. The roots should be moist and pale, never dry or black. Plant within a couple of days, or if you can’t, heel them into a temporary trench to keep the roots damp. Send back any plants with dried-out roots, as they rarely recover.

For more evergreens that cope with shade and wind, see our guide to the best evergreen trees for UK gardens. For low, formal hedges, see our box hedge alternatives.

Now You’ve Picked Your Hedge

The next step is getting it in the ground properly. Our hedge planting guide for the UK takes you through preparing the soil, planting depth, first-year watering and the trim after planting that makes a hedge bushy from the base.

For single shrubs rather than a hedge, see our guide to fast-growing shrubs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest growing hedge in the UK?

Leylandii is the fastest-growing hedge you can plant. Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’ is close behind and stays denser. Cherry laurel is quick too and makes a glossy evergreen screen. Most fast hedges give a useful screen within a few years from bare-root plants.

How many hedging plants do I need per metre?

Most hedges need about three plants per metre. Privet, box and yew need four or five per metre. Cherry laurel and Portugal laurel need just two, because they’re bigger plants. For a thicker hedge, plant a zigzag double row with plants 40cm apart and rows 30cm apart.

What is the best alternative to Leylandii?

Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’, or western red cedar, is the best alternative. It grows nearly as fast, stays dense to the base and is easier to keep tidy. Like most conifers, it won’t reliably regrow from old bare wood, so trim it regularly.

What is the cheapest fast-growing hedge?

Bare-root privet, beech and hornbeam are usually the cheapest. Prices depend on plant size, how many you buy and where from, so compare the cost for the whole length of hedge. Bare-root plants are only sold from November to March.

Is Fargesia rufa bamboo invasive?

No, Fargesia rufa is a clumping bamboo and stays put. It slowly gets wider but doesn’t send out running roots. Running bamboos, such as many Phyllostachys, are the ones that can spread under paving and into next door’s garden.

When is the best time to plant a hedge?

November to March is best for bare-root hedging. The plants are dormant, cheap and quick to settle in. Pot-grown hedging can go in at other times, but you’ll need to water it a lot more. Avoid frozen or waterlogged ground.