Privacy Hedging

Whether it is simply hedging between neighbours or a screen to cordon off a part of the garden such as a barbeque area there is a medley of hedging suitable plants to choose from. I will outline a few of the more popular choices here along with their pros and cons so you can have some idea on what might be a good fit for your garden.

Native hedging is always my first 'go to' as when something is native it's not only going to be built for our climate but it's also going to support the wildlife that we should be encouraging in the area. So here are some of the native options that may suit your needs;

Hawthorn/Whitethorn (Crataegus monogyna) - This is a common sight along roadsides, especially right now in April/May as the little white flowers are blossoming. It's an excellent boundary plant especially if you are looking to discourage people from climbing or getting through as it has extremely sharp thorns. This also makes it a poor choice if you are looking for just a bit of area separation as it can cause injury if you were to fall into it!!

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) - Excellent for cordoning off areas as it is evergreen, easily shaped and has its beautiful red berry display in the winter. The only issue can be that it is very slow growing so if wanting immediate hedging you will need to buy to size.

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) - Though this is deciduous, when shaped properly the mess of its branches can still provide privacy. It has fabulous flowers and also produces fruit so it's a firm favourite of mine when it comes to hedging.

If choosing to plant a boundary hedge it's best to mix a few of the native species in together, this gives balance to the biodiversity in the area and also looks great if done properly. The majority should be Hawthorn or Whitethorn with about 30% others such as Holly, Hazel, Viburnum, and Dog Rose (Rosa canina).



The non native hedging looks best in more curated gardens or those with limited space, a few classic choices are as follows;

Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica) - This is a tall growing, evergreen shrub with reddish stems, it's a lot more neat looking than its counterpart the Cherry Laurel. It is also less aggressive in its growing behaviour so where the Cherry Laurel can take over the Portuguese Laurel is a bit more well behaved.

Box Hedging (Buxus sempivirens) - If you think of a hedge maze you are probably picturing Buxus. It's the classic small leaved, thick growing hedge that can be clipped into all sorts of different shapes. It's excellent for small borders and to create a windbreak for beds.

Leylandii - This is the fastest growing of them all and it creates an excellent screen and windbreak but it is high on maintenance due to it's fast growing nature, if you ignore it it will happily grow up to 30 metres, block light and become an eyesore. So it's great for speed but not for work.

So when planting any sort of hedging, bear in mind the maintenance needed for it and also what effect that it may have on the flora and fauna already existing in the area and if at all possible try and always choose native!