Plants for Hedging

Few garden centres sell ready made hedges - they are simply too big and no one could get them home! As a result, many people make the mistake of buying fast growing shrubs. These tend to get too big and grow so quickly that they don't get pruned regularly enough and become leggy and wooden.

Below is a list of plants suitable for hedging. A good hedging plant is one that will give predictable growth, be evergreen, not get to woody and can be pruned back hard if needed. These days, a good hedging plant may also need to be pollution resistant as they are often planted near roads.

Trees for hedging

Alnus cordata (Alder)
Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree)
Carpinus betulus (Hornbeam)
Carpinus betulus fastigiata
Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn)
Fagus sylvatica (Beach)
Ilex aquifolium (Holly)
Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’
Laurus nobilis (Bay)
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawsons cypress)
X cupressocyparis leylandii (Leyland Cypress)
Cupressus macrocarpa (Cypress)
Juniperus communis (Juniper)
Larix decidua (Larch)

Shrubs for hedging

Berberis darwinii
Buxus sempervirens
Choisya ternate
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
Lavandula
Ligustrum ovalifolium
Lonicera nitida
Pittosporum tenuifolium
Prunus laurocerasus
Prunus lusitanica
Rosmarinus officinalis
Tamarix pentandra

Grasses / bamboos for hedging

Arundo donax
Cortaderia selloana
Stipa gigantean