How to plant a hedge and best hedging suppliers

When you want a new new hedge, buying bare-root hedging is definitely the cheapest option. It can also be used to thicken up gaps in an existing hedge or make it more wildlife friendly by introducing native species.

The young plants can be grown cheaply and delivery costs are low for a bare bundle of twigs. Early winter is a good time to think about planting a new hedge or thickening up gaps in an existing one as this is when the young plants become dormant for the winter and they are available to buy as bare-root hedging.

We've trialled bare-root beech hedging from several different suppliers to assess quality, health and appearance of the young plants as well has how well packaged they were and if they came with planting and storing guidance. Read on to see the full results, as well as tips on how to buy the best bare-root hedge plants.

Plus, we give you the step-by-step instructions on how to plant your hedge and how to take care of it to keep it healthy.

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Choosing the right hedge plants

Fast-growing hedge plants

If you’re looking to get a hedge established quickly, you don’t have to choose leylandii. Hawthorn and hazel will both grow swiftly (over 60cm each year). However, they are both deciduous, losing their leaves in winter. A beech hedge will grow relatively swiftly and will retain brown leaves until the new leaves burst in spring. Yew, an evergreen, is slow to establish but surprisingly fast-growing. For a swift-growing flowering hedge you could consider either the evergreen Escallonia macrantha, or forsythia, which bursts into bright-yellow flowers in the spring.

Evergreen hedge plants

Evergreen hedging doesn’t have to be green. For a splash of gold, consider yellow privet or leylandii. For a red tinge to your hedge, photinia will give you bright-red shoots in the spring; copper beech has a lovely maroon tone and will retain its autumn leaves until the new growth appears in spring. Griselinia (better-known as New Zealand broadleaf) has a lovely fresh apple-green colour. For a native option, holly is a great choice – or yew, if you’re looking for something less prickly.

Native hedge plants

Native hedging is a mix of shrubs and trees found in the UK. It’s ideal for attracting wildlife into your garden. Common combinations of plants sold together to make a native hedge include blackthorn, wild cherry, field maple, dogrose, hazel and hawthorn. These shrubs will provide food for wildlife, but can also provide foraging opportunities for you. Edible hedges include blackthorn (sloe gin), hazel (nuts), crab apple (crab-apple jelly) and elder (elderflower wine and elderberry cordial). Native and edible hedging is sold in mixed packs, or you can select your own perfect combination of plants.

Flowering hedge plants

Flowering hedges can be tricky. As some shrubs only flower on old wood, if you cut them back too hard or even keep them ‘neat’, you risk losing next years’ flowers. However, the beautifully scented oleaster (Elaeagnus x ebbingei) can be trimmed back in the autumn to keep it in shape. For interest in spring through to summer, pyracantha (firethorn)has white flowers followed by vibrant red or yellow berries. Purple-leafed varieties of berberis will give you beautiful leaves in spring to autumn, and orange flowers in spring. 

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How to plant a hedge

Hedging is easy to plant and much cheaper than a fence, especially if you choose bare-root plants delivered during the winter when the plants are dormant. 

Here are our tips for planting and caring for a new hedge.

Ordering and storing the young plants

• Bare-root hedging is available from October to March – but don’t plant it out then if your soil is waterlogged or frozen. 
• Lightly bury the roots in a soil trench (also known as ‘heeling in’) until you’re ready to plant them in their final position, or keep them in a frost-free shed or garage with their roots moist and wrapped up.

Preparing the ground and planting 

• Prepare the ground by removing all the weeds, and digging in organic matter or compost in a strip around 60-90cm wide.
• Space your plants around 30-60cm apart, depending on the variety. You might want to plant them in a staggered double row for a thicker, denser hedge.
• Plant them to the depth they were originally planted in the nursery, and water them in if the weather is dry.
• Mulch to a depth of 3cm to prevent weeds.
• Trim back any thinner, whippy growth to encourage thicker bushing out.

Caring for your new hedge

• Keep the young plants well-watered and feed them for the first couple of years.
• Protect the plants from pests – deer and rabbits can be particularly damaging to hedging plants– and keep the area as weed free as possible.

Best bare-root hedge suppliers

To ensure you're getting the best quality plants for your hedge, it's essential to buy from a trusted source.

If you're looking to order hedging plants, these are the best suppliers we found in our trials.

Which? members can log in now to see the full results and which are our recommended suppliers. If you're not a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Best hedge trimmers 2023: Which? Best Buys and expert advice - keep your new hedge in top condition

How to buy bare-root hedging

• Bare root hedging is sold by size so as a minimum the young plants should reach the height advertised when sold. 

• Shorter plants (30-45cm) are often seedlings, only 1or 2 years old. Though younger plants are cheaper they take more care to establish successfully. 

• Taller plants are often transplanted, so given more room to grow, which allows them to develop better, more fibrous roots. 

• The best quality plants should have sturdy stems and already have some branches. On delivery the roots should be moist, fibrous and full – not chopped off by careless lifting.