Fast-Growing Hedges (That Won't Become a Problem)
"Fast-growing hedge" is the search term that gets people into the most trouble in UK gardening. The species that come up at the top of the list — Leylandii first and foremost — solve the privacy problem in three years and become the next thirty years of weekend cutting. The good news is that there are genuinely fast hedging plants that don't end up costing you the garden. The catch is that most people have never heard of them.
Here is the honest list of fast hedging that does the job without becoming a problem, plus the one species you should think twice about however attractive the growth rate looks.
The short version: Leylandii solves the privacy problem in three years and becomes thirty years of weekend cutting, because its 1m-a-year growth never slows. The genuinely good fast hedges establish at 30-60cm a year, then settle down: Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens' (40-60cm/year), Portuguese laurel (30-45cm/year), Photinia 'Red Robin' (30cm/year), hornbeam and beech (both 30-45cm/year). Think twice about leylandii, cherry laurel and running bamboo, which all keep getting harder to manage. The honest shortcut is buying a slower species at a larger starting size — a 1.8m yew looks like a hedge on day one and asks less of you for the next twenty years.
Why "fast" usually means "trouble later"
A plant's growth rate doesn't stop when it reaches the height you wanted. Leylandii at 1m a year keeps growing 1m a year, which means a 2m hedge becomes a 5m hedge in three years if you skip the clipping. Cherry laurel at 60cm a year keeps thickening outwards 30cm a season indefinitely. These hedges aren't problems because they grow fast — they're problems because they never stop.
A genuinely good fast hedge slows down once it reaches a mature size. The species below all establish quickly (30cm to 60cm a year for the first three or four years) but settle into a manageable rate once they reach their finished height.
Honest framework: Anything that grows faster than 60cm a year is going to need at least two clips a year forever. If that's not realistic for you, slow down — choose a species that grows 30cm a year and buy bigger starting plants.
The genuinely good fast options
Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens' (Western red cedar)
Bright green scale-like foliage on a fast upright frame. Grows 40cm to 60cm a year. Reaches privacy height in three to four years and then slows to a manageable rate. Holds a dense screen down to the ground for decades. The under-recognised alternative to leylandii — same speed without the regret.
Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese laurel)
Glossy dark green oval leaves on red stems. Grows 30cm to 45cm a year. Tolerates clay, shade and coastal positions. Settles into one annual clip once established. The best balance of speed and refinement for evergreen hedging.
Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin'
Bright red new growth and dark green older foliage. Grows 30cm a year. Reaches privacy height in four years. Needs full sun for the red colour. Twice-yearly clipping keeps the lines crisp and encourages the red flush.
Carpinus betulus (hornbeam)
Bright green deciduous foliage turning copper-brown in autumn and holding through winter. Grows 30cm to 45cm a year. Tolerates heavy wet clay where beech sulks. Functionally semi-evergreen because of the winter leaves. One annual clip in August.
Fagus sylvatica (beech)
Bright green spring foliage turning copper-brown and holding through winter. Grows 30cm to 45cm a year. Prefers free-draining soil. The most beautiful deciduous hedge in the country and one annual clip is enough.
The species we'd think twice about
Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii). Grows 1m a year and never stops. Becomes the maintenance problem that ruins boundary relationships with neighbours. Browns out from the base if cut back hard — meaning you can never reduce it once it gets too big. Almost always the wrong answer.
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). Grows 45cm to 60cm a year. Fine if you keep on top of it, but coarser than Portuguese laurel and the large leaves tear visibly when clipped with a hedgetrimmer. Choose Portuguese laurel instead unless budget is the deciding factor.
Running bamboo species. Vigorous growth but invasive root systems that spread underground for years. Even "clumping" bamboos can become a problem. Almost never the right answer for a UK domestic boundary.
The honest shortcut
The fastest way to a finished hedge isn't choosing the fastest-growing species — it's buying a slower species at a larger starting size. A 1.8m yew plant looks like a hedge the day it goes in the ground. A 60cm yew plant takes five years to look the same. The extra cost of the larger plant is usually worth it for the years of waiting it saves, and you end up with the lower-maintenance hedge in the long run.
Related guides:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest growing hedge?
Leylandii is the fastest at around 1m a year, but it is also the species most likely to become a maintenance nightmare and a source of neighbour disputes. Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens' grows 40cm to 60cm a year and gives a similar privacy result without the runaway growth problem. Portuguese laurel grows 30cm to 45cm a year and is even better-looking. For real establishment speed without regret, choose Thuja or Portuguese laurel, not Leylandii.
What is a good fast hedge that isn't invasive?
Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens', Portuguese laurel and Photinia 'Red Robin' all establish quickly and stop growing aggressively once they reach mature height. None spread by suckers or runners. Beech and hornbeam grow 30cm to 45cm a year and have no invasive tendencies. Avoid Leylandii, cherry laurel (where space is tight) and any running bamboo species — all become harder to manage every year rather than easier.
Is it better to plant a faster hedge or a bigger one?
Almost always better to plant a bigger one. A larger starter size of a slower species — say 1.5m yew — looks like a hedge immediately and asks far less of you over the next twenty years than a faster species like Leylandii will. The extra outlay on bigger plants is paid back in lower long-term maintenance and a better-looking hedge. The fastest hedge isn't always the best hedge.
A fast hedge done well outperforms a runaway one done badly. Explore our Border by the Metre collection for quick-establishing hedging that won't get out of hand. Delivered free to your door.
