Boost your garden's privacy with these 9 speedy-growing hedges

Posted on 24/05/2025

Boost Your Garden's Privacy With These 9 Speedy-Growing Hedges

Every garden lover knows the importance of privacy. Whether you're hosting a quiet brunch, reading beneath shady branches, or simply wish to create a visual barrier from neighbors, fast-growing hedges are an excellent and natural solution. These green guardians don't just provide seclusion--they also block wind, reduce noise, and enhance your garden's beauty throughout the seasons.

This article unveils nine of the best fast-growing hedge plants to give your yard a lush, living fence in no time. If you're eager to boost your garden's privacy and add instant elegance, read on for expert tips, plant care, and design insights!

Why Fast-Growing Hedges Are a Smart Choice

Many homeowners dream of privacy in their gardens, but waiting years for slow-growing shrubs to fill in can be discouraging. Fast-growing hedge plants can quickly deliver the tall, dense coverage you need, and some even bring fragrances, flowers, or evergreen color to your landscape.

Immediate Results: Achieve seclusion in a fraction of the time compared to slow-growing varieties.
Cost Efficient: Rapid growth means fewer plants and less waiting; your investment pays off sooner.
Natural Beauty: Many fast-growing hedges offer attractive leaves, berries, or blooms.
Wildlife Friendly: Dense hedges shelter birds and pollinators.
Versatility: Hedging plants can be pruned for formality or left loose for wildlife-friendly screens.

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How to Choose the Best Hedges For Your Privacy Needs

Selecting the right hedges for your garden depends on a few key factors:

Climate: Is your region hot, cold, rainy, or dry? Choose plants suited to your local conditions.
Sun Exposure: Some hedges need full sun, while others tolerate shade.
Evergreen or Deciduous: Do you want year-round privacy (evergreen) or seasonal interest (deciduous)?
Height and Spread: Check the mature size to ensure your hedge fits your space.
Growth Rate: A "speedy" growth rate is typically 30cm-1m (1-3ft) per year or more.
Maintenance: Some hedges need frequent trimming; others are low-fuss.

To help you decide, here are nine speedy-growing hedge varieties that consistently deliver privacy and beauty.

9 Speedy-Growing Hedges To Boost Backyard Privacy

1. Leyland Cypress (Cupressus x leylandii)

Leyland cypress is a classic choice for rapid privacy screens. This evergreen can grow up to 1 metre (3ft) per year and tolerates pruning well. Its fine, bright green needles form a dense wall, ideal for blocking unwanted views and noise.

Growth Rate: Up to 1 metre a year
Sun: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Adaptable, but prefers well-drained soils
Best For: Tall, formal evergreen privacy fences

2. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)

Among the fastest-growing hedging plants, privet is a favorite for a neat, formal hedge. The glossy green leaves stay dense, and it's tolerant of urban pollution, making it great for city gardens. Privet adapts well to shaping--just trim it regularly.

Growth Rate: 60cm to 1 metre per year
Sun: Sun or partial shade
Soil: Most types
Best For: Formal clipped privacy hedges

3. Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus or P. lusitanica)

The cherry laurel is prized for its large, glossy leaves, rapid growth, and year-round screening. It produces fragrant white flower spikes in spring. For smaller gardens or a more refined look, opt for Portuguese laurel (P. lusitanica) with narrower leaves.

Growth Rate: 60cm per year
Sun: Full sun to full shade
Soil: Well-drained but fertile
Best For: Evergreen privacy and windbreaks

4. Bamboo (Clumping Bambusa species)

If you want instant privacy with a unique, exotic twist, bamboo hedging could be perfect. Go for clumping rather than running types to avoid invasiveness. Bamboo shoots up rapidly and offers tall, airy screens with a modern aesthetic.

Growth Rate: Over 1 metre per year in ideal conditions
Sun: Sun to dappled shade
Soil: Moist, well-draining soils
Best For: Contemporary privacy screens and windbreaks

5. Photinia (Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin')

For bold color as well as privacy, photinia is a top choice. Its young leaves emerge bright red before maturing to dark green, offering a striking display. Compact, quick-growing, and tolerant of pruning, it's ideal for mixed or formal hedging.

Growth Rate: Around 30-40cm per year
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained
Best For: Colorful boundary hedges

6. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Perfect for temperate gardens, hornbeam hedges are deciduous but hold onto their leaves through much of winter, providing extended privacy. Their crinkled, bright green foliage and attractive shape make them a traditional favorite in country and town gardens alike.

Growth Rate: 30-45cm per year
Sun: Sun or shade
Soil: Moist, fertile soils
Best For: Year-round screening in cool climates

7. Italian Buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus)

This evergreen shrub is exceptionally tolerant of poor soils, salt spray, and drought, making it perfect for coastal regions. With its small, highly glossy leaves and upright habit, Italian buckthorn forms a turbo-fast green barrier.

Growth Rate: 60cm or more per year
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Any well-drained soil
Best For: Low-maintenance seaside privacy

8. Escallonia (Escallonia spp.)

With glossy leaves and gorgeous clusters of pink, white, or red flowers, escallonia is both a privacy booster and a pollinator magnet. Its quick growth and salt tolerance make it a regular feature in coastal gardens.

Growth Rate: 30-45cm per year
Sun: Sun (best flowering)
Soil: Free-draining, even poor soils
Best For: Flowering privacy and wildlife-friendly hedges

9. Griselinia (Griselinia littoralis)

A vigorous, evergreen hedge plant from New Zealand, griselinia boasts apple-green, leathery leaves and a neat habit. It's ideal for mild, windy, or coastal gardens, growing quickly with little fuss and minimal maintenance required.

Growth Rate: 60cm per year
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Best For: Windbreaks and lush, green privacy screens

Expert Tips for Planting and Maintaining Fast-Growing Hedges

Planting Your Speedy-Growing Hedge

Space Properly: To ensure dense coverage, plant at the recommended spacing for your chosen species. Too close can stunt growth; too far leaves gaps.
Prepare the Soil: Add organic matter and break up compacted soil. Well-nourished soil means stronger, faster growth.
Water Wisely: Water new hedges deeply and regularly during their first two seasons, especially in dry spells.
Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch around plants to keep roots cool, suppress weeds, and conserve moisture.

Trimming and Shaping Your Hedge

Prune Regularly: Prune young hedges lightly to encourage bushiness. Mature hedges benefit from at least one trim per year (more for formal types).
Shape With Care: Trim so the base is slightly wider than the top--a gentle A-shape--so sunlight reaches all leaves.
Watch for Disease: Remove diseased branches promptly and clean tools between cuts.

Bonus: Combine Hedges for Beauty and Biodiversity

For an extra-attractive privacy screen, combine two or more fast-growing plants, such as photinia with laurel, or hornbeam with flowering escallonia. You'll enhance seasonal interest, support a wider range of wildlife, and build resilience in your living fence.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Fast-Growing Garden Hedges

Which hedge grows the fastest for privacy?

Leyland cypress and some bamboos are among the quickest-growing options, sometimes gaining a meter or more per year. Privet and cherry laurel are also very rapid.

What is the best evergreen hedge for year-round privacy?

Several evergreens are excellent. Laurel, leyland cypress, Portuguese laurel, photinia, griselinia, and Italian buckthorn keep their leaves throughout winter and create dense, green screens.

How do I speed up my hedge's growth?

Plant at the right time--autumn or early spring are best for root establishment
Prepare soil well with compost or manure
Water regularly, especially during dry spells
Mulch annually and feed with balanced fertilizer in early spring
Trim lightly at first to boost bushiness, not height

Can I create a privacy hedge in a small garden?

Yes! Choose compact or slow-growing types or prune taller species regularly to keep them at the desired height and width. Photinia, bamboo, privet, and escallonia all tolerate trimming for tight spaces.

Conclusion: Enjoy Peace and Seclusion with Speedy-Growing Privacy Hedges

With a fast-growing hedge plant, your garden can quickly transform into a private haven that is beautiful, biodiverse, and an asset to your home. Whether you dream of evergreen walls, flowering screens, or wildlife-rich boundaries, one of these nine speedy-growing hedges will suit your needs.

Start planting today--and enjoy your own secluded garden paradise in just a season or two!

Want more gardening inspiration? Explore our tips on smart irrigation, DIY outdoor lighting, and year-round garden care!