It is often a dilemma choosing the best hedging plant for your garden as each situation is different and there are so many hedging options to choose from. It may sound obvious but we generally recommend that a good hedging plant should be evergreen to provide year round privacy and screening. With that in mind, here are our top 5 best hedging plants (in no particular order) for UK growing conditions, many of which are on special offer here at Paramount Plants. All our hedging plants are available to buy online and we deliver nationwide in the UK.
Happy Planting!
Cypress Leylandii Hedging – very fast growing, great value!
If you are looking for an attractive, solid hedging solution in a hurry, then the Leyland Cypress (often known simply as Leylandii) is an ideal choice. Leylandii are very fast growing (3 to 4 feet per year when young), evergreen, wind tolerant and lend themselves well to trimming. Leylandii are also suitable for coastal areas and offer shelter to wildlife especially birds. Trimming is best done 2 to 3 times between April and September. We have green and golden Leylandii in stock. View Sizes and Prices of Leylandii Here…
Best Hedging Plants: Five Top Picks, Five Special Offers – Leylandii
Thuja Plicata – fragrant foliage, low maintenance!
Often known as the Western Red Cedar or Irish God, evergreen Thuja Plicata is relatively fast growing while being low maintenance. Our bushy Thuja Plicata plants form a lovely dense hedge that reshoots easily so any brown bits can be removed. The attractive green / yellow foliage gives off a pineapple fragrance. Due to the density, Thujas are very popular with wildlife. Our bushy Thuja Plicata plants are ideal for planting now at circa 3 meters high.
View Thuja Plicata Sizes & Prices Here…
Best Hedging Plants, Five Top Picks – Thuja Plicata
Photinia Red Robin – hardy, lovely red foliage in Spring
A very popular, hardy and fast growing evergreen hedging shrub, Photinia Red Robin offers year round interest. New foliage shoots are a striking red, turning green as they get older. Photinia Red Robin produces small white flowers and small apple-shaped fruit in Autumn, a popular food-source for birds. A Photinia hedge is easy to maintain but regular pruning encourages new (red) leave shoots. Best to prune in Spring to encourage colour during the Summer.
View Our Photinia Red Robin Hedging Sizes & Prices Here…
Best Hedging Plants: Five Top Picks – Photinia Red Robin
Cherry Laurel – great formal hedge, hardy for exposed areas
The Cherry Laurel, with its bright, glossy foliage is a good choice if you are looking for a well formed formal hedge (such as at the entrance to your property). Cherry Laurels are very hardy, relatively impervious to high winds, tolerant of coastal landscapes and tend to age well. Cherry Laurel also thrives in shade, although it will obviously grow at a slower rate than in full sun.
A Cherry Laurel hedge does need to be well maintained however to prevent it becoming overgrown. It can be vigorously cut back if required. If not pruned in early spring, the Cherry Laurel has white, fragrant flowers in April & May, which are adored by bees, followed by red berries popular with some birds such as black birds. As you would expect, Laurel hedges provide excellent wildlife cover.
View Our Cherry Laurel Sizes & Prices Here…
Cherry Laurel is undemanding, beautiful, and cost- effective: everything you would want in privacy hedging.
English Holly – ancient English shrub, excellent wildlife habitation
The native Ilex Aquifolium or English Holly is a hardy shrub whose spikey leaves are ideal for deterring unwanted intruders. An English holly hedge is something of tradition in the UK, relatively slow growing but then it does not require a high level of maintenance. The gorgeous berries provide welcome colour in winter as well as providing much needed food for the birds. Not to mention, the fragrant white flowers that abound in spring, attracting bees and other pollinators.
Our English Holly tip: Ilex Nellie Stevens , extra bushy specimens for added privacy.
English Holly – ancient native English shrub, excellent wildlife habitation
Prunus Lusitanica Angustifolia
Otherwise known as the Narrow Leafed Portuguese Laurel is a dense evergreen hedging shrub which produces beautiful white flowers around June to August.
Narrow Leafed Portuguese Laurel – Evergreen Hedging Shrub
Special Offers & Inspiration
We have many shrubs and trees on special offer – checkout our Special Offers Section
Paramount Plants – The UK’s Online Specialists for Mature Trees, Shrubs and Plants, our entire stock selection is available to buy online. We deliver nationwide throughout the UK.
