Hedging Plants: A Buying Guide
Whether you're planting a formal boundary, a wildlife-friendly native hedge, or year-round screening for privacy, this guide will help you choose the right hedging plants for your site and plant them the right way from the start. Every plant is cell-grown at our nursery in East Lothian, ready to plant as soon as it arrives.
Shop Hedging Start the guideBefore you order: what to expect
This guide is written with first-time hedge planters in mind as much as experienced growers, so if any of this feels obvious, skip ahead. Here are six things our customers ask about most before placing a hedging order.
How many will I need?
For a dense, quick establishing hedge, plant in a staggered double row rather than a single line, roughly 3 plants per metre in each row, 6 per metre in total. This is the industry standard method and gives a thicker hedge faster than a single row ever will.
Why does my hedge look bare in winter?
Most hedging plants are deciduous and lose their leaves over winter, just like they would in the wild. Only a handful of our hedging species are evergreen, so unless you've specifically chosen one of those, a bare, stick-like look between roughly November and March is completely normal.
Why isn't it growing quickly?
Growth rate varies by species. Some hedging plants put on height fast, others are naturally slower and take their time building roots before top growth follows. Slower growth in year one isn't a fault, it's just how some species work.
Will it look like a hedge straight away?
No, and that's worth knowing before you order. Newly planted hedging looks like a row of individual plants, not a solid hedge, and it typically takes around five years for the plants to knit together into one continuous line.
How much sunlight does it need?
Most hedging plants do best in full sun, though tolerance varies a little by species. If your site is partially shaded, get in touch and we can help you pick a species suited to it.
What will my delivery look like?
Your plants arrive safely boxed and ready to plant, so there's nothing special to prepare for when the order lands on your doorstep.
Shop by category
Our hedging plants fall into two broad categories. Choose one to see which species belong to it, then browse the full range to shop.
What do you want to achieve?
Most buyers come to hedging with one clear goal. Find the scenario below that fits your project to see which species are worth starting with.
Formal, clipped hedging
Looking for a neat, structured boundary you can shape and maintain? These species respond well to regular clipping and hold a crisp line.
- Green Beech
- Western Red Cedar
- Lawson Cypress
Year-round privacy
If you want a hedge that stays dense and green through every season, evergreen species are the place to start.
- Yew
- Western Red Cedar
- Holly
Wildlife and native hedgerows
A mixed native hedge supports far more birds, insects and pollinators than a single-species formal hedge, and gives a more informal look.
- Hawthorn
- Blackthorn
- Elder
- Dog Rose
- Spindle
- Alder Buckthorn
Security and boundary
Thorny or spiny species make a hedge that's both a visual and physical barrier, useful anywhere you want to deter as well as screen.
- Blackthorn
- Hawthorn
- Holly
- Gorse
- Dog Rose
Hedging plants at a glance
All our hedging species side by side, so you can quickly compare the traits that matter most before you buy.
| Species | Type | Scale | Growth pace | Soil | Wildlife | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Beech | Deciduous | Large | Fast | Most soils, moist | Medium | Formal, clipped hedging |
| Hawthorn | Deciduous | Mid-size | Fast | Most soils | High | Wildlife & security |
| Cherry Plum | Deciduous | Compact | Fast | Most soils | High | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Field Maple | Deciduous | Mid-size | Moderate | Chalk, clay, most soils | Medium | Formal, clipped hedging |
| Blackthorn | Deciduous | Compact | Fast | Most soils (not waterlogged) | High | Security & boundary |
| Alder Buckthorn | Deciduous | Compact | Fast | Damp, acidic | High | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Gorse | Evergreen | Compact | Moderate | Sandy, well-drained | High | Security & boundary |
| Elder | Deciduous | Mid-size | Fast | Most soils | High | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Yew | Evergreen | Large | Slow | Well-drained | Medium | Year-round privacy |
| Lawson Cypress | Evergreen | Large | Fast | Moist, well-drained | Medium | Formal hedging & windbreak |
| Darwin's Barberry | Evergreen | Compact | Moderate | Well-drained | High | Security & boundary |
| Dog Rose | Deciduous | Compact | Fast | Chalk, clay, loam | High | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Spindle | Deciduous | Mid-size | Fast | Most soils, free-draining | Medium | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Purging Buckthorn | Deciduous | Mid-size | Moderate | Chalk, clay, sandy | High | Wildlife & native hedgerows |
| Holly | Evergreen | Mid-size | Slow | Most soils, moist | High | Year-round privacy & security |
| Western Red Cedar | Evergreen | Large | Fast | Most soils, damp | Medium | Formal hedging & privacy |
Scale reflects unmanaged, unclipped height, most of these species are kept much smaller as a maintained hedge.
Ready to choose your hedging plants?
Browse the full range of UK-grown deciduous and evergreen hedging, or get in touch and our team will help you choose.
How to plant a hedge
Getting the layout right at planting time makes a real difference to how quickly your hedge fills out and how thick it ends up.
Plant in a staggered double row
Rather than a single line, stagger your plants across two parallel rows, offset from each other. Aim for around 3 plants per metre in each row, 6 per metre in total. This is the industry standard spacing and produces a noticeably thicker, faster establishing hedge than a single row.
Give it time to knit together
For at least the first few years, and often up to around five, your hedge will look like a row of separate plants rather than one continuous line. This is completely normal, it simply takes time for the plants to grow into each other.
Cell-grown or bare root, which should I choose?
Bare root hedging is generally the more cost effective option, but it's lifted while dormant and needs to go in the ground within a fairly narrow planting window. Cell-grown plants cost a little more but give you far more control over timing, since they can be planted at almost any time of year.
Why cell-grown plants?
Alongside traditional bare root hedging, we grow cell-grown plants at our nursery in East Lothian. It isn't simply a production method, it has a direct impact on how well your hedge establishes.
Plant almost any time of year
Because the root system stays protected in its cell, planting isn't limited to the traditional bare root season.
Protected root plug
Each plant arrives with an intact root plug, which reduces transplant shock and helps it establish quickly in its new site.
Arrives ready to plant
Stock arrives well watered and in good condition. You don't need to plant immediately, and plants can be stored for a short period if your site isn't ready.
Consistent, biosecure quality
Every plant is grown at our own nurseries and never imported. As a Plant Healthy certified nursery, traceability and biosecurity are built in.
What to expect when your plants arrive
Knowing what to do in the days after delivery will make a real difference to establishment success.
Check your order
Open your delivery and check the species, quantities and condition of the plants. If you have any concern, get in touch within 7 days of delivery so we can take a look, often from photographs alone.
If you're not planting straight away
You don't need to plant immediately. Keep your plants in a cool, dry place and aim to get them in the ground within a couple of weeks. Dormant plants need little care before planting, but water them if the weather is warm.
Getting them in the ground
- Mark out your staggered double row, roughly 3 plants per metre in each row.
- Dig a hole twice the size and about an inch deeper than the root plug for each plant.
- Place the plant in the hole and hold it upright.
- Backfill the soil around it as you go.
- Firm the soil gently with your heel.
- Water well and keep the base clear of weeds.
What else you'll need
A hedge needs a little more than just the plants. These are the essentials most customers order alongside their hedging.
Guards and canes
One of each, per plantEvery plant needs its own guard, either a spiral guard or a wrap guard, along with a cane to support it while it establishes.
Shop Tree ProtectionPlanting equipment
Includes our planting spadeA proper planting spade makes the job far easier over a long run of hedge, particularly in compact or rocky ground.
Shop Planting EquipmentFertilisers
Give your hedge the best possible start, from controlled release fertiliser at planting time to top dressing that sustains growth once it's established.
Shop FertilisersWorking out quantities: for a staggered double row at 6 plants per metre, a 10 metre hedge needs roughly 60 plants, so budget for 60 guards and 60 canes to match.
Frequently asked questions
How many plants do I need for my hedge?
Plant in a staggered double row for the best results, roughly 3 plants per metre in each row, 6 per metre in total. This gives a thicker, faster establishing hedge than a single row. Measure the length of your hedge line and multiply by 6 for a rough total.
Why does my hedge look bare when it arrives in winter?
Most hedging plants are deciduous, so they naturally lose their leaves over winter. Only a handful of our species are evergreen. If your delivery arrives between roughly November and March, a bare, stick-like appearance is completely normal, the plant is dormant, not damaged, and will leaf up again in spring.
Why isn't my hedge growing quickly?
Growth rate varies by species. Some hedging plants are naturally quick to establish, others take their time building roots before putting on visible height. Slower growth early on isn't a sign of a problem.
Will my hedge look solid straight away?
No. Newly planted hedging looks like a row of individual plants at first, and it typically takes around five years for them to grow into one continuous line. This is completely normal for a young hedge.
What's the difference between cell-grown and bare root hedging?
Bare root plants without soil are lifted from the ground while dormant and need planting within a fairly narrow window. Cell-grown plants, like ours, keep their root system protected in a cell, so they can be planted at almost any time of year and settle in with less transplant shock. Bare root is generally cheaper, cell-grown gives you more control over timing.
How much sunlight does my hedge need?
Most hedging plants do best in full sun, though tolerance varies by species. If your site is partially shaded, get in touch and we'll help you choose a suitable species.
What will my delivery look like?
Your plants arrive safely boxed and ready to plant.
Are your hedging plants grown in the UK?
Yes. Every plant is grown at our own nurseries in East Lothian from UK-sourced seed, we never import stock. We're Plant Healthy certified, so traceability and biosecurity are assured.