A beautifully maintained hedge is one of the garden’s most joyous views. Straight edges with dense foliage can really be the icing on the cake of your garden or the perfect finishing touch for a clean and minimal garden style.
Mother nature can sometimes take longer to grow some hedge varieties than we would like. Thankfully, some varieties of plants perfect for hedging can grow very quickly and get you on your way to that ideal hedge you have been looking for.
How fast can hedges grow?
The rate at which a hedge grows depends entirely on the type you planted and its growing conditions.
Hedging plants can put on anywhere between 10cm and a whole metre of new growth in a year. Hedges that are considered ‘fast growing’ are those that can increase in height by around 40cm or more.
Popular Varieties of Fast Growing Hedges
Several species of fast-growing hedges are particularly popular among gardeners:
- Leyland Cypress: Known for its rapid growth, Leyland Cypress can reach heights of up to 60 feet, so regular pruning and maintenance are needed to keep it manageable and dense. It thrives in well-drained soil and full sun, and is an excellent choice for privacy screens.
- Laurel: This variety is favoured for its resilience and low maintenance requirements. It can grow up to 3 feet per year and is easy to grow in almost any condition, making it a popular choice for beginner gardeners.
- Privet Hedge: Privet is a classic choice for hedging due to its adaptability to various climates. It grows quickly and can be easily shaped through pruning, making it ideal for formal gardens. Privets are semi-evergreen, meaning they keep most of their leaves during the winter, so they are excellent for privacy. Plus, they’re native to the UK, which is fantastic for local wildlife.
- Bamboo: While not a traditional hedge, bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. Its unique growth habit and height make it a striking choice for creating privacy screens or focal points in the garden. Be careful with the variety you choose, as Bamboo has a habit of spreading quickly and can be challenging to control.
- Alder: Alder is another UK native making it a fantastic option for attracting local wildlife to your garden, and is a fast grower even in very wet conditions, ideal for rainer parts of the UK.
- Hawthorn: Hawthorn will form a dense and compact boundary in your garden and is an excellent hedging option. It can provide food and shelter for wildlife and is easy to grow even in exposed areas of the garden.
- Beech: Beech is an excellent option for a hedge thanks to its dense, green foliage, which turns a fiery orange/brown when it starts to get colder. While the leaves will go brown, a beech hedge will keep hold of them during the winter, which maintains privacy and reduces the endless leaf clearance during the autumn.
Benefits of Fast Growing Hedges
Hedging offers numerous advantages, making it a popular choice for homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor spaces. Fast-growing varieties like the ones mentioned above are a great way to achieve your intended outcome faster, so you can focus on other areas of the garden that require your attention.
- Privacy and Security: One of the primary reasons people choose hedges for privacy is their ability to create dense barriers that shield properties from prying eyes. This provides a sense of security and creates a physical boundary to your property.
- Noise Reduction and Windbreak Capabilities: Hedges can serve as effective noise barriers, absorbing sound and reducing disturbances from nearby roads or neighbours. Additionally, they can act as windbreaks, protecting gardens and outdoor living areas from harsh winds if in a more open landscape setting.
- Aesthetic Appeal and Landscape Enhancement: Hedges, with their lush greenery, can enhance curb appeal and provide a backdrop for other plants and flowers, creating a vibrant outdoor space. They’re also very effective when used to divide areas of the garden to separate planting schemes or create quieter and more peaceful areas.
Can I make my hedge grow faster?
As with any plant, its ability to grow quickly or not entirely depends on the care and maintenance it receives. Likewise, a fast-growing hedge is only that if it is given the proper care it needs to grow to its full potential.
Ensuring they are well watered, particularly during the first couple of years while they establish, is key to a healthy-growing hedge. Considering the aspect of your garden is also key when planting, as a hedge that requires lots of sun will not grow very quickly or at all if it is in a dark and shady corner of the garden.
Applying a general-purpose fertiliser to your hedge plants annually, especially while establishing, can also help speed up the growing process. Once hedges are mature, they will not require much feeding if at all, but an annual application can help speed up growth.
Things to be careful of with fast-growing hedges.
Depending on the variety of hedge you have planted, there are a couple of things you’ll need to be mindful of, especially if they grow quickly. Some species, like Leyland Cypress, can quickly get out of control without proper care and maintenance.
It could be easy to plant and forget about these fast-growing hedges, and before you know it, you have something that is too large to manage and does not give you the desired effect you were looking for when planting your hedge.
Once established, regular pruning once or even twice a year will keep your hedge manageable and healthy. This will ensure it grows with the proper density you want for screening and privacy purposes, and does not grow too tall to block sunlight and space in your or your neighbour’s garden.
Another thing to be mindful of is watering requirements. Some varieties of hedge are very thirsty, meaning that once established and growing quickly, they can quickly use up a lot of the water that falls in an area of the garden, leaving little else for other plants. Be mindful of where you are planting your hedge and what is around it.
Conclusion
In summary, hedges offer numerous benefits, including privacy, noise reduction, and aesthetic appeal. With various species available, a hedge is suitable for every landscape and climate.
The fast-growing varieties mentioned in this article are a great way to achieve the desired effect of your hedge quickly and easily. This allows you to get back to other jobs in the garden without having to wait for your hedge to grow for many years.