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Fast Growing Hedging Plants
hedging plants are usually cheaper when
bought in bulk |
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Canadian Hemlock
Tsuga
canadensis - tall and one of the fastest.
Evergreen |
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American
Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis 'Nigra' - not so quick or so
tall, but more elegant.
Evergreen |
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Douglas fir
Pseudotsuga
Taxifola - good for wind break or background planting.
Evergreen |
| Privet,
Hardy Amur
Ligustrum
Amurense - quick and restrained to about 10ft.
Evergreen |
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Hybrid Poplar
Populus hybrida - One of the fastest.
Deciduous |
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Siberian
Elm
Ulmus Pumilla - one of the fastest growers.
Deciduous |
| Forsythia
Beatrix
Ferrand - Yellow spring flowers.
Deciduous |
Size
Along
with maintenance, the ultimate size of a hedge causes the greatest concerns. In
a perfect world, the hedge would grow rapidly and thickly to a preset height and
then stop dead in its tracks.
The reality is that if you want a "fast" hedge, one that will grow to the desired height and thicken up just as
quickly, it will tend to keep on going upwards and outwards just as vigorously
past the optimum size as it did to get there in the first place.
This
is the cause of the great Lleylandii curse, a much used hedging plant in the UK.
They rapidly form an
excellent hedge, but require regular cutting back and the subsequent disposal of
large quantities of material if they are not to get out of hand or even become
the subject of a dispute between neighbors.
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Fast growing plants means the hedge is effective sooner,
but then requires more maintenance to keep it under control
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Slower growing hedges will take
several years to form an effective barrier, but will require less clipping
and will live longer. |
The other major issue with hedges is the need for regular maintenance. All
hedges need trimming
at least once a year, some more often. Regular light pruning is better for the
hedge, and easier to carry out, than infrequent heavy pruning, there's also a
lot less material to dispose of, if it's small twiggy stuff it can be fed though
the garden shredder.
A powered hedge trimmer can be used for light pruning, (though
not for heavy cutting back) this can speed up the trimming process and help to
give a more uniform finish with straight lines.
More on
hedges and hedging plants
Fast growing doesn't usually equate to
a closely trimmed or "classic" hedge. There's no-one to tell
the plants when to stop growing and just start being a hedge.
If you want fast growing, what you get
is essentially fast growing trees that can be planted close together to
form a quick barrier. The barrier will be informal - or it will require
trimming 2-3 times a year if you want to keep it looking neat and tidy.
Either way regular trimming to keep
the plants under control is a good idea and will thicken and strengthen
the hedge.
It will not be long-lived as far as hedges
go, though it's all relative. You should get a few decades out of the quickest hedge rather
than centuries for yew or the like. Certainly more than you'd get for
a wooden fence.
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