Boost your garden privacy with our top 9 fast-growth hedge suggestions

Posted on 23/08/2025

Boost Your Garden Privacy with Our Top 9 Fast-Growth Hedge Suggestions

If you're tired of nosy neighbors, passing traffic, or simply want your own serene outdoor sanctuary, fast-growing hedges are your ticket to natural beauty and privacy. Not only do these robust plants shield your garden from prying eyes, but they also provide windbreaks, noise reduction, and essential habitats for wildlife. In this comprehensive guide, we'll share our top nine fast-growing hedge recommendations so you can boost your garden's privacy quickly and effectively.

Table of Contents

• Why Choose Fast-Growing Hedge Plants?
• Essential Criteria for Selecting Privacy Hedges
• Top 9 Fast-Growth Hedge Suggestions
• Planning and Maintaining Your Garden Privacy Hedge
• FAQs and Final Gardening Tips

Why Choose Fast-Growing Hedge Plants?

You might wonder, why prioritize fast-growth when selecting a hedge? Here are a few reasons:

• Immediate privacy: Enjoy peace, seclusion, and a dramatic green screen within a few seasons.
• Quick transformation: Transform a bare fence line or boundary into a lush, living wall with minimal delay.
• Cost-efficient landscaping: Faster hedges mean you'll need fewer mature--often expensive--plants to reach your design goals.
• Wildlife benefits: Swiftly provide shelter and food for birds, pollinators, and other helpful garden creatures.

In short: Quick-growing hedges save time and maximize your garden's privacy potential.

Essential Criteria for Selecting Privacy Hedges

Not all hedges are created equal. For a successful privacy screen, consider these key criteria:

• Growth rate: Target plants with annual growth rates of at least 30cm (12 inches), but some varieties can manage a meter a year!
• Evergreen vs. deciduous: Evergreens provide year-round privacy, while deciduous hedges may lose leaves in winter but provide seasonal interest.
• Height & spread: Make sure your chosen hedge will reach a suitable height for your privacy and boundary needs.
• Maintenance requirements: Some hedges demand frequent pruning; others require little attention.
• Suitability for your climate & soil: Match your plant choices to your local conditions for the most robust growth.
• Pest and disease resistance: Opt for tough, hardy varieties where possible.

Let's dive into our top 9 fast-growing hedging plants that tick all these important boxes and help you boost garden privacy in no time.

Top 9 Fast-Growth Hedge Suggestions for Garden Privacy

1. Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

A classic British favourite, privet is the ultimate quick hedge. Its dense, semi-evergreen foliage forms a thick screen rapidly, making it ideal for urban gardens. Privet can easily be kept trimmed for a tidy look, responds well to pruning, and suits a variety of soil types.

• Growth rate: Up to 30cm-60cm (12-24 inches) per year.
• Best for: Formal or informal, sun or partial shade, urban boundaries.
• Evergreen/semi-evergreen: Some leaf drop in harsh winters but remains fairly dense.

2. Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus - Cherry Laurel)

Cherry Laurel is one of the fastest-growing evergreen shrubs, prized for its bold, shiny leaves and robust nature. It quickly forms a solid privacy barrier--perfect for screening patios and gardens, even in polluted city environments.

• Growth rate: 30cm-60cm (12-24 inches) per year, under good conditions more.
• Best for: Large gardens, shady spots, noise and wind buffering.
• Evergreen: Yes--excellent year-round coverage.

3. Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin'

Loved for its striking copper-red young leaves, Photinia 'Red Robin' adds a vivid splash of colour alongside fast privacy growth. This semi-evergreen shrub is highly attractive, easy to prune, and well-suited to both formal and relaxed gardens.

• Growth rate: Up to 30cm (12 inches) per year.
• Best for: Decorative boundary hedges, modern landscapes.
• Evergreen/semi-evergreen: Keeps much of its foliage through winter, especially in milder climates.

4. Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea & Fargesia varieties)

For ultimate speed and a lush, tropical look, bamboo is hard to beat. Clump-forming varieties like Fargesia are non-invasive, while Phyllostachys can create a lofty, quick privacy screen--even in small spaces. Bamboo excels as a tall visual block as well as a windbreak.

• Growth rate: Up to 1m (39 inches) per year in ideal conditions!
• Best for: Contemporary gardens, screening balconies, minimal pruning.
• Evergreen: Yes--stays green all winter.
• Tip: Install a root barrier to prevent unwanted spreading if using running bamboos.

5. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

For a classic conifer privacy wall, Thuja species are renowned for their elegant, narrow foliage that forms a dense, tall hedge very quickly. They're hardy, low-maintenance, and ideal for large-scale privacy screens.

• Growth rate: 40cm-60cm (16-24 inches) annually.
• Best for: Perimeter hedging, windbreaks, tall privacy barriers.
• Evergreen: Yes--thick, year-round coverage.

6. Griselinia littoralis (New Zealand Broadleaf)

This hardy evergreen forms a glossy, cheerful, and quick-growing privacy hedge, especially in milder, coastal areas. Griselinia offers attractive apple-green foliage, tolerates salt and wind, and is undemanding in most soils.

• Growth rate: 30cm-45cm (12-18 inches) per year.
• Best for: Coastal gardens, mild climates, ornamental appearance.
• Evergreen: Yes.

7. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

If you prefer a privacy hedge that can handle wet, heavy soils, hornbeam is an excellent choice. While technically deciduous, it often holds onto russet-brown leaves well into winter, providing substantial visual barrier for most of the year.

• Growth rate: 30cm-60cm (12-24 inches) per year with optimal care.
• Best for: Clay soils, formal hedges with architectural appeal.
• Deciduous/semi-evergreen: Holds leaves in winter for extended privacy.

8. Pyracantha (Firethorn)

Not only does Pyracantha grow quickly, but it also produces vibrant berries in autumn, creating a colourful privacy hedge that's fantastic for attracting birds. Its thorny branches also serve as a strong deterrent to intruders.

• Growth rate: 40cm-60cm (16-24 inches) each year.
• Best for: Security hedging, wildlife-friendly gardens.
• Evergreen: Yes--remains thick and green even in winter weather.

9. Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)

This stylish evergreen hedge offers all of the fast-growing, privacy-boosting appeal of English Laurel, but with smaller, glossier leaves and a darker, sophisticated look. Portuguese Laurel is extremely hardy and copes well even in exposed or urban environments.

• Growth rate: 30cm-50cm (12-20 inches) per year.
• Best for: Smaller gardens, elegant boundaries, urban or rural plots.
• Evergreen: Yes.

Planning and Maintaining Your Privacy Hedge

Choosing the Right Site

For best results, pick a location with enough sunlight, free from competition with tree roots, and easy access for maintenance. Measure the length and height required to achieve the privacy you desire.

Preparation and Planting Tips

Follow these steps for quick establishment of your fast-growing hedge:

• Soil preparation: Loosen the soil, remove weeds, and enrich with organic matter to ensure strong root development.
• Spacing: Plant at the recommended spacing (usually 30-60cm apart) for each species to encourage dense growth.
• Watering: Keep newly planted hedges well-watered, especially during dry spells.
• Mulching: Apply a mulch to suppress weeds and conserve moisture.

Maintaining Garden Privacy Hedges

A little attention leads to thick, healthy, and attractive hedges:

• Pruning: Trim annually or biannually to maintain shape and promote bushy growth.
• Feeding: Use a balanced fertilizer in spring to fuel rapid vegetative growth.
• Pest control: Promptly address any signs of disease or insect attack for long-term hedge vitality.

FAQs and Final Tips for a Fast-Growing Privacy Hedge

How quickly can I expect results from these hedges?

Many of these fast-growth hedge species can produce a noticeable privacy screen within 2-3 years, with full-height coverage in 4-5 years depending on planting size and conditions.

Will fast-growing hedges require lots of pruning?

Yes, most fast-growing hedges need regular pruning to keep them tidy, dense, and manageable. However, many gardeners find this annual or semi-annual task straightforward and rewarding.

Can I mix hedge species for diversity?

Absolutely! Mixing fast-growing hedge plants can result in a stunning, wildlife-friendly, and resilient screen with dynamic seasonal colour.

Are hedge privacy screens suitable for small gardens?

Yes. Several of our top suggestions suit compact plots, particularly Portuguese Laurel, Griselinia, and Fargesia bamboo. Simply adjust planting distances and keep hedges well pruned to the desired size.

Conclusion: Create Your Dream Private Oasis

With our top 9 fast-growth hedge suggestions, you can transform your outdoor space into a private, green paradise in just a few seasons. Whether you prefer the glossy elegance of laurels, the colourful drama of photinia, the urban chic of bamboo, or the wildlife haven of pyracantha, there's a fast-growing privacy hedge to suit every garden style and requirement.

Plan carefully, plant well, and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of your very own secluded haven.

Ready to boost your garden privacy? Check with your local nursery for the best hedging plants for your area, and start planting today!