Hedging Plants
Hedging plants are the natural way to define the boundaries of your garden. Use evergreen and flowering hedges to create a well-maintained backdrop for garden borders, a natural screen to attract wildlife, or something to give privacy, there's a wide variety of hedge plants for every purpose. The slow-growing English yew can be perfectly clipped for formal hedging and topiary, while holly is best for security hedging. For fast growing colour you can't go wrong with Stransvaesia, Christmas Berry. Find out how to plant and care for your new hedge at our tree and hedge hub page.
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Hedging plants – more info
Hedging plants come in so many shapes and sizes. From 12m tall hedging like oak and cigar-shaped cypress to low-growing hedging to divide a formal herb bed, there is a huge variety of options from which to choose. Here we explore which hedging plants are best for your garden.
Which are the best hedging plants for shade?
If your garden is well-shaded, you’ll need to choose hedge plants that thrive in low light conditions or your boundary will be patchy. English yew (taxus baccata) grows very well in shade. This slow-growing variety is perfect for shaping into topiary and has ornamental red berries in September and October that birds love. Read our full article on choosing the best hedge plants for more advice.
The top three evergreen hedging plants
Cherry laurel is one of the top evergreen hedging plants. It grows in a range of light levels from shade to full sun and gives a great return for little input, growing a thick screen of shiny green leaves to block noisy neighbours and prevailing winds. Laurus nobilis produces a similarly fuss-free hedge with lovely fragrant leaves. For colourful evergreen foliage you can’t go wrong with elaeagnus pungens. It has attractive leathery foliage that provides thick screening with scented blooms, even in tricky coastal conditions.
What plants are best for hedging in a coastal area?
If you have a garden in a coastal location, choose salt-tolerant varieties. Hedges often get the brunt of the weather, so make sure you plant a tough variety that can thrive in the face of salt-laden wind. Griselinia littoralis is a great candidate. The fresh rippled green leaves offer thick screening and make a great backdrop to a herbaceous border.
The top three hedging plants for wildlife
When choosing hedging to attract wildlife it’s a good bet to assume that native plants will be the best. Our collection of native & wildlife hedging is a really good place to view all the options that birds, bees and butterflies love. Our top three hedging plants for wildlife all have berries in autumn: rowan, blackthorn, and hawthorn. They provide a valuable natural food source for native birds who will flock to the garden to feast!
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