Plants for purpose: Plants for hedging

A lot of people think yew is slow growing, but it actually grows fast when young only slowing down as it gets older. This dense growing, thin leafed plant is a long-lived evergreen which can also be allowed to grow into a tree.  It makes a great hedge because of its ability to regenerate when pruned.

This next plant has been used for centuries to create not only low growing hedges but also to clip into topiarised shapes. Most box cultivars are, like yew, dense growing, but their leaves are rounded and generally a lighter shade of green. They’re also much slower growing making them ideal for low hedging.

In recent years there have been problems with box blight devastating plants so it’s best to buy from a reputable hedging company. If you’ve had box blight in your garden within the last 6 years, choose another type of evergreen hedging as blight spores can remain in the soil for 6 years.

Good old-fashioned privet is a great hedging plant to play around cutting shapes into as it’s evergreen and grows quickly. Also, it’s not fussy about the soil it grows in and regenerates quickly so it’s great if you’re not 100% happy with the shapes you create first time round!

Beech make fantastic colour changing hedges and will grow in sun or part shade and can be bought in sizes from 40cm to 2m high. It can be grown in most types of soil, although be warned it won’t do well in heavy clay, waterlogged or drought prone soil.

Hornbeam looks very similar to beech although its leaves won’t stay on quite as long as the beech leaves. The autumn/winter leaf colours aren’t quite as vibrant as beech, but if you’ve got poor soil conditions then hornbeam will tolerate them far better than beech. So it makes a good alternative lookalike.

This handsome plant will give scented white flowers in spring, gorgeous red leafed autumn colour followed by bright red berries much loved by birds.

Next is a fast-growing tree whose leaves turn a glorious shade of yellow during autumn. It will grow in most soil conditions and is easily maintained.

Also commonly known as May Blossom due to the prolific white flowers produced in spring, it has delightful red berries appearing during the summer months.

This hedging plant is perfect for anyone wanting bird friendly hedging as it supports more than 150 species of insect which in turn provide rich food for blue tits and wrens. Its densely covered branches with sharp thorns make it a safe place for birds to nest in.

Unlike most other roses these do well in sandy soil and aren’t bothered by coastal winds as long as the soil isn’t waterlogged.  They also have highly scented flowers throughout the summer followed by large brightly coloured red hips.

Lastly is blackthorn which grows in most soil types and exposed conditions. It’s one of the first trees to blossom in early spring with a profusion of pretty, white flowers brightening the garden at a time when not much else is flowering. Its dense, thorny foliage makes it a great choice for a security hedge.

This also makes it a wonderful haven for birds and other small wildlife and comes with the added bonus of dark fruit ready to pick in November to turn into delicious sloe gin.