Research Reveals These Are Fastest Growing Hedges For Your Garden

Thanks to their shape and potential size, hedges lend themselves well to providing privacy and shelter, marking boundaries, reducing wind, and much more.

With so many types of hedging, choosing the right one for your garden comes down to your needs and preferences.

Many people want a fast-growing hedge that will quickly provide privacy or shelter.

So, if you’re wondering which hedge to choose and how long it will take to grow, you’ve come to the right place.

Choosing The Best Fast-Growing Hedges

There’s no strict definition of fast-growing, but to give a general idea, you can expect hedges to grow anywhere between 10-100cm a year.

When we speak about fast-growing hedges, we’re usually referring to hedges that grow above 40cm a year.

From examining research from different horticultural bodies, we have identified 12 trees and shrubs that can be used for hedging with a high annual growth rate in the UK.

Here is each type, ordered by their average growth in height each year:

Choosing to grow a hedge in a garden for privacy is, surprisingly, one of the main reasons people look to include a hedge in their garden landscaping.

Hedges are a great alternative to fencing and are perfect for when you aren’t able to erect a fence.

Below we introduce these fast-growing hedges that are good for garden privacy in more detail.

1) Leylandii

• BOTANICAL NAME: Cuprocyparis leylandii
• HARDINESS RATING: H6
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 91.5cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 30m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 10-20

A frequently used hedge type is the Leyland cypress, also called Leylandii or conifer hedging.

This plant can grow a whopping 90cm per year, making it the fastest-growing hedge on our list.

This makes it a popular and cost-effective choice for gardeners.

“Cuprocyparis leylandii is certainly fast growing but so much so that it frequently causes disputes between neighbours due to the shade it casts,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.

“It needs lots of space and regular cutting to maintain a hedge and not a sequence of tightly planted large trees.”

2) Western Red Cedar

• BOTANICAL NAME: Thuja plicata
• HARDINESS RATING: H6
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 76.2cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 35m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 10-20

The Western Red Cedar is another rapidly fast-growing shrub that grows up to a huge 35m in height, making it great for garden privacy.

This evergreen shrub is not fussy and can grow in most soils and positions in your garden.

3) Garden Privet

• BOTANICAL NAME: Ligustrum ovalifolium
• HARDINESS RATING: H4
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 60cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 8m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 10-20

If you’re into gardening, the privet hedge may very well be what pops into your head when you hear the word hedge.

This popular variety grows up to 60cm a year, with thick and dense coverage making it great for privacy.

4) Cherry Laurel

• BOTANICAL NAME: Prunus laurocerasus
• HARDINESS RATING: H5
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 60cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 8m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 20-50

The Cherry Laurel, also called Common or English Laurel, is another popular choice that can grow around 60cm per year in average conditions.

This is the fastest-growing non-conifer hedge, so bear that in mind if you have an aversion to conifers.

5) Umbrella Bamboo

• BOTANICAL NAME: Fargesia murielae
• HARDINESS RATING: H5
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 50cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 4m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 5-10

Bamboo is another option and represents something a bit more exotic.

It is renowned for being fast-growing, with one species recording a growth of 91cm per day.¹

Don’t worry though: the type of bamboo used for hedging will grow closer to 40cm per year.

6) Blackthorn

• BOTANICAL NAME: Prunus spinosa
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 50cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 4m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 20-50

Blackthorn, a deciduous tree, grows up to 4m with a similar spread and makes a great shrub for garden privacy.

It also bears white flowers in the spring and can produce fruits in the autumn.

”As well as being quick growing, Prunus spinosa is a brilliant early flowerer for pollinators,” adds Colin.

“It is also very spiny, so a good security screen if that’s what you’re looking for.”

This thorny tree can become slightly invasive and might require some pruning if you want to keep your hedges in check.

7) Common Hawthorn

• BOTANICAL NAME: Crataegus monogyna
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 45.72cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 8m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 20-50

The common hawthorn produces cream flowers and red fruits and can grow in most conditions, making it a delight to have in your garden.

This thorny, deciduous tree can grow up to 8m in height and spread and can provide great coverage for the borders of your property.

8) Dog Rose

• BOTANICAL NAME: Rosa canina
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 45cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 4m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 5-10

A deciduous shrub, Dog Rose is fast-growing and can reach up to 4m in height with an annual growth rate of around 45cm.

It’s beautiful pink and white flowers that bloom in the summer make this shrub a lovely attraction as well as a good hedge for privacy.

9) Common Alder

• BOTANICAL NAME: Alnus glutinosa
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 45cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 25m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 20-50

Common alder can grow up to a massive height of 25m with a spread of up to 8m, making it a great choice for garden privacy.

Unusual brown flowers and fruits bloom in spring and autumn respectively.

Bear in mind that this shrub needs to be grown in full sun, so will need a suitable location in your garden in order to grow at a fast rate.

10) Common Hornbeam

• BOTANICAL NAME: Carpinus betulus
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 40cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 6m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: More than 50

Next up is Hornbeam, a type of plant native to the UK that can be used for hedging, whether alone or in combination with other plants.

The latter option is a great way to create a more informal hedge, as opposed to the neatly trimmed aesthetic that many on the list will bring.

Plants like blackthorn, hazel, and hawthorn make good partners for hornbeam.

Native plants are likely to attract wildlife into your garden, making Hornbeam a great choice to consider.

11) Christmas Berry ‘Red Robin’

• BOTANICAL NAME: Photinia × fraseri ‘Red Robin’
• HARDINESS RATING: H5
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 30cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 4m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 10-20

This evergreen shrub grows up to 4m, and although it is one of the slowest-growing hedging plants on this list, it is interesting green and red foliage make it worth the wait.

This shrub can grow in most soils and locations in the garden and produces little white flowers in the spring.

12) White Cedar ‘Smaragd’

• BOTANICAL NAME: Thuja occidentalis Emerald
• HARDINESS RATING: H7
• ESTIMATED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 22.8cm
• MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 3m
• YEARS TO EVENTUAL HEIGHT: 10-20

The Thuja Emerald is another popular choice for gardeners who want hedges with lower maintenance, thanks to its cone shape.

This plant will grow around 30cm a year in good conditions, up to a maximum height of around eighteen feet.

References

1. Fastest growing plant. (n.d.-b). Guinness World Records. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-growing-plant/