A fast growing hedge is the most natural, beautiful, and permanently improving boundary solution available, creating a living screen that delivers increasing privacy, wildlife value, and seasonal interest with every growing year that passes.
Whether you need an urgent privacy screen, a windbreak, or a stunning garden boundary, these 20 outstanding fast growing hedge ideas will help you choose and establish the perfect living screen using our fast growing privacy shrubs guide.
Source: @landartdublin
1. Leyland Cypress (x Cuprocyparis leylandii)
Leyland cypress is the fastest growing hedge plant available in temperate climates, capable of gaining an extraordinary 3–5 feet of height per year in favourable growing conditions to create a tall, dense evergreen screen in the shortest possible time of any commonly planted hedge species.
Source: @lockett_lawn_and_landscape
While requiring annual trimming to prevent it becoming unmanageably large, Leyland cypress is unrivalled for sheer establishment speed when urgent, tall privacy screening is required along a garden boundary. For more fast-establishing privacy hedge ideas and management strategies, our privacy fence ideas guide covers Leyland cypress alongside every other popular fast growing hedge option in excellent detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 36–60 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 40–70 feet (managed at any height) |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 6–10 |
| Spacing | 2–3 feet apart for quick dense screen |
| Maintenance | Annual trim essential to control size |
| Best For | Urgent tall privacy screening |
2. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata)
Green Giant arborvitae is the fastest growing and most disease-resistant arborvitae hedge available, combining an outstanding growth rate of 3–5 feet per year with excellent deer resistance, superb drought tolerance once established, and a naturally pyramidal form that requires minimal pruning to maintain.
Source: @smartyplantsinlo
Its rich, dark green foliage and naturally tidy habit make Green Giant arborvitae one of the most beautiful as well as the fastest growing hedge options available for larger garden boundaries. For more arborvitae hedge varieties and planting strategies, our tree landscaping ideas guide covers Green Giant and other fast arborvitae hedges in comprehensive, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 36–60 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 40–60 feet (maintains well at lower heights) |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 5–8 |
| Spacing | 5–6 feet apart |
| Deer Resistance | Excellent |
| Best For | Fast, low-maintenance large garden screens |
3. Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)
Privet is one of the most widely planted and consistently reliable fast growing hedges in temperate gardens, its vigorous 2–3 feet of annual growth, dense branching structure, and remarkable tolerance of virtually any soil type, aspect, and degree of shade making it an outstandingly practical all-round hedge choice.
Source: @cl.gardening
Golden privet, with its bright yellow and green variegated foliage, creates a particularly attractive fast growing hedge that adds year-round colour and warmth to any garden boundary throughout every season. For more fast growing hedge planting and maintenance guidance, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers privet varieties and establishment strategies in practical, comprehensive detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 24–36 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–15 feet (clips easily to any height) |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 5–8 |
| Spacing | 12–18 inches apart for quick screen |
| Shade Tolerance | Good — establishes in part shade |
| Best For | Versatile, affordable, quick garden hedge |
4. Photinia (Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’)
Photinia Red Robin is one of the most spectacularly beautiful fast growing evergreen hedges available, producing brilliant red new growth flushes in spring and autumn that create a dazzling seasonal display while maintaining a dense, glossy green privacy screen throughout the entire year.
Source: @thegardenprojectco
Regular trimming of photinia hedges actually encourages more frequent red growth flushes, meaning that a well-maintained photinia hedge displays more of its spectacular colouration than an untrimmed one would throughout the growing season. For more photinia hedge planting and maintenance ideas, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers Red Robin and other photinia varieties in comprehensive, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–15 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 7–9 |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Best Feature | Brilliant red new growth in spring and autumn |
| Maintenance | Trim 2–3 times to encourage red flushes |
5. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Cherry laurel is one of the fastest establishing and most reliably dense evergreen hedges available for temperate gardens, its large, glossy dark green leaves creating a bold, impenetrable privacy screen of considerable character and effectiveness that establishes quickly in almost any growing condition.
Source: @alexandersgardening
The Rotundifolia variety is the most vigorous and widely planted cherry laurel for fast hedge establishment, growing at up to 24 inches per year and quickly forming a dense, broad evergreen screen. For more cherry laurel and large-leaved evergreen hedge options, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers every outstanding laurel variety and spacing strategy in excellent detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 18–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–20 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 6–9 |
| Spacing | 2–3 feet apart for quick dense screen |
| Shade Tolerance | Good — establishes in part to full shade |
| Best For | Large-leaved bold evergreen privacy hedge |
6. Bamboo (Fargesia species)
Clumping bamboo planted as a hedge creates one of the most exotic-looking and genuinely fast-establishing natural screens available, its dense, leafy canes growing several feet per year to produce a beautifully rustling, year-round evergreen privacy screen of distinctive tropical character at any garden boundary.
Fargesia robusta and Fargesia rufa are the most reliable clumping bamboo species for hedge use, both establishing vigorously from the second year onward and remaining reliably contained without the invasive running that makes other bamboo species problematic. For bamboo hedge planting and management guidance, our privacy fence ideas guide covers bamboo living fence and hedge planting in helpful, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 24–48 inches per year once established |
| Mature Height | 10–20 feet depending on variety |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 5–9 |
| Spacing | 3–5 feet apart |
| Key Note | Always choose clumping Fargesia — never running varieties |
| Best For | Exotic-looking, rustling, fast privacy screen |
7. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Hawthorn is the finest and most wildlife-valuable fast growing native hedge available for garden and rural boundaries in temperate climates, its thorny interlocking stems creating a genuinely stock-proof barrier while its spring blossom and autumn berries provide outstanding seasonal beauty and exceptional wildlife support throughout the year.
Planted as bare-root whips in winter at a fraction of the cost of containerised hedging plants, hawthorn establishes vigorously and grows rapidly into a dense, impenetrable hedge of extraordinary ecological value. For more native hedge planting and wildlife-friendly boundary ideas, our fence line landscaping guide covers hawthorn and native hedge establishment in beautiful, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 18–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 6–15 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 4–7 |
| Spacing | 3 plants per metre for quick establishment |
| Wildlife Value | Outstanding — supports 300+ species |
| Best For | Wildlife hedges, rural and country gardens |
8. Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Western red cedar is an outstanding fast growing evergreen hedge that combines vigorous establishment with exceptional fragrance, deer resistance, and tolerance of wet soils that makes it a superior alternative to Leyland cypress in many garden situations requiring a fast, tall, permanently manageable privacy screen.
Its aromatic cedar fragrance is released whenever the foliage is brushed or trimmed, making a western red cedar hedge one of the most sensory and genuinely pleasurable hedges to work near in the garden. For more aromatic and fast growing evergreen hedge choices, our tree landscaping ideas guide covers western red cedar and other fast coniferous hedges in comprehensive, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 24–36 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 40–70 feet (manages well at any height) |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 5–7 |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Deer Resistance | Excellent |
| Best For | Fast, fragrant, deer-resistant evergreen screen |
9. Portugal Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
Portugal laurel is a superior fast growing evergreen hedge for gardens on chalk and alkaline soils where cherry laurel consistently underperforms, its smaller, more elegantly shaped leaves, greater cold hardiness, and attractive white flower racemes in early summer making it a beautifully refined alternative for formal and cottage garden settings.
It also tolerates clipping into formal shapes with exceptional grace, producing a neat, precise hedge of considerable elegance that looks outstanding in both formal and relaxed garden styles. For more evergreen hedge options for challenging soils, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers Portugal laurel and chalk-tolerant hedge varieties in excellent detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–18 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 15–25 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 7–9 |
| Chalk Tolerance | Excellent — thrives on alkaline soils |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Best For | Formal hedges on alkaline and chalk soils |
10. Escallonia
Escallonia is an outstanding fast growing evergreen hedge for coastal and exposed garden positions, its remarkable tolerance of salt spray and strong winds combined with a generous summer flowering display in pink, red, and white making it one of the most beautiful and practical boundary hedges available for difficult seaside sites.
Source: @paramountplants
Its semi-evergreen habit in colder climates means escallonia provides year-round structure while remaining genuinely tough enough for the most exposed, windy, and salt-laden coastal positions that defeat most other hedge species. For more coastal hedge and boundary planting strategies, our coastal backyard garden guide covers escallonia and salt-tolerant hedge planting in authoritative, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 6–12 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 7–9 |
| Salt Tolerance | Excellent — ideal for coastal positions |
| Bloom Time | June to September |
| Best For | Coastal and exposed garden hedges |
11. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)
Hornbeam is one of the finest and most beautiful fast growing deciduous hedges available, its dense, pleated leaves creating exceptional summer privacy while the retained russet-brown dead leaves of winter provide meaningful year-round screening that makes it a practical near-evergreen alternative in formal and informal hedge settings.
Fastigiata hornbeam is particularly outstanding for formal hedge use, its naturally upright, columnar habit requiring less pruning than standard hornbeam while producing an exceptionally dense, beautifully structured hedge. For more formal and structural fast growing hedge ideas, our tree landscaping ideas guide covers hornbeam hedge planting and maintenance in comprehensive, inspiring detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–18 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–20 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 4–8 |
| Spacing | 18–24 inches apart |
| Winter Screening | Retains dead leaves — year-round privacy |
| Best For | Formal and informal deciduous garden hedges |
12. Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Beech is one of the most beautiful and enduring fast growing deciduous hedges available in temperate climates, its smooth grey bark, pleated emerald spring leaves, and glorious golden-copper autumn foliage creating a hedge of extraordinary seasonal beauty that also retains its dead leaves through winter for effective year-round screening.
Purple beech (Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea) creates a particularly dramatic and richly coloured hedge, its deep burgundy-purple foliage creating a stunning contrast with green garden plantings throughout summer. For more seasonal and ornamental fast growing hedge ideas, our colorful shrubs guide covers beech varieties and seasonal hedge colour combinations in vibrant, inspiring detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–18 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 15–40 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 4–7 |
| Spacing | 18–24 inches apart |
| Winter Screening | Retains dead leaves for year-round screening |
| Best For | Traditional, formal, and cottage garden hedges |
13. Griselinia (Griselinia littoralis)
Griselinia is an outstanding fast growing evergreen hedge for mild coastal and maritime climates, its apple-green, leathery, oval leaves and vigorous establishment rate creating one of the most salt-tolerant, wind-resistant, and beautifully fresh-looking hedges available for exposed seaside garden positions.
Its naturally dense, bushy growth habit produces a full, rounded hedge profile with minimal pruning, making griselinia one of the most low-maintenance fast growing hedges available for gardeners who prefer not to clip frequently. For more coastal hedge and boundary planting guidance, our coastal backyard garden guide covers griselinia and salt-tolerant evergreen hedges in authoritative, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–20 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 8–10 |
| Salt Tolerance | Excellent |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Best For | Coastal and mild climate gardens |
14. Forsythia
Forsythia is the most spectacularly flowering of all fast growing deciduous hedges, its brilliant yellow spring blossom appearing in breathtaking profusion on bare stems before the leaves emerge to create one of the most powerfully joyful and uplifting seasonal garden displays available in any hedge species.
Allowed to grow informally rather than clipped tightly, forsythia creates a beautifully free-flowing flowering hedge of remarkable seasonal impact that also provides valuable early season nectar for emerging bumblebee queens. For more flowering hedge and garden boundary planting ideas, our flowering shrubs guide covers forsythia and other fast growing flowering hedge species in excellent, colourful detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 24–36 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 8–10 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 5–8 |
| Bloom Time | March to April — before leaves emerge |
| Spacing | 4–5 feet for informal flowering hedge |
| Best For | Informal flowering hedge, spring garden display |
15. Viburnum (Viburnum tinus)
Viburnum tinus is a superb fast growing evergreen hedge that delivers year-round screening, late winter to early spring white flower clusters with a gentle fragrance, and attractive metallic blue-black berries in autumn — making it arguably the most four-season rewarding of all fast growing hedge species available.
Its tolerance of shade, chalk, and dry soils makes viburnum tinus particularly valuable in difficult garden positions where many faster-growing hedge species fail to establish or perform adequately. For more viburnum and flowering hedge ideas, our flowering shrubs guide covers viburnum tinus and its companion planting combinations in beautifully practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–18 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 8–12 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 7–9 |
| Bloom Time | December to April |
| Shade Tolerance | Good |
| Best For | Four-season interest, shade, and chalk soils |
16. Eleagnus (Eleagnus x ebbingei)
Eleagnus x ebbingei is one of the toughest, fastest growing, and most versatile evergreen hedges available, its large, silver-backed dark green leaves creating a dense, wind-resistant screen of considerable character that establishes vigorously in almost any soil type and withstands coastal exposure, drought, and shade with remarkable resilience.
Its tiny, intensely fragrant autumn flowers are largely hidden within the foliage but release an extraordinarily powerful, sweet perfume that fills the entire garden on still autumn days — one of the great hidden pleasures of this outstanding hedge species. For more tough and versatile fast growing hedge ideas, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers eleagnus and other resilient evergreen hedges in excellent, comprehensive detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 18–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 10–15 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 6–9 |
| Fragrance | Hidden autumn flowers — intensely sweet |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Best For | Exposed, coastal, and challenging garden positions |
17. Thuja occidentalis (White Cedar)
Thuja occidentalis is one of the most cold-hardy and widely reliable fast growing evergreen hedges available for northern gardens, its dense, fan-shaped sprays of rich green foliage creating an outstanding year-round privacy screen that establishes well in a wider range of conditions than most other evergreen hedge species can tolerate.
Numerous named cultivars offer different growth rates, heights, and foliage colours to suit every garden situation from compact low hedges to tall privacy screens. For more arborvitae hedge selections and cold climate privacy planting ideas, our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers Thuja occidentalis cultivars and establishment strategies in comprehensive, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–24 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 15–30 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 2–7 |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Cold Hardiness | Excellent — survives extreme winter temperatures |
| Best For | Cold climate gardens requiring fast evergreen hedge |
18. Mixed Native Hedge
A mixed native hedge planted with hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, and dog rose creates the most ecologically valuable and naturally beautiful fast growing hedge available, its diverse species mix supporting an extraordinary range of wildlife while delivering spectacular seasonal interest throughout every month of the year.
Planted as bare-root whips in winter at extremely low cost, a mixed native hedge establishes with remarkable vigour and produces berries, blossom, and wildlife habitat value that no single-species hedge can ever replicate. For more native hedge planting and wildlife garden boundary ideas, our fence line landscaping guide covers mixed native hedge establishment and management in beautiful, practical detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Mix | Hawthorn 50%, blackthorn 20%, hazel 20%, field maple 10% |
| Growth Rate | 18–24 inches per year |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 4–8 |
| Spacing | 3 plants per metre in staggered double row |
| Wildlife Value | Outstanding — supports complete native ecosystem |
| Estimated Cost | $30–$100 for bare-root whips |
19. Pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium)
Pittosporum tenuifolium is a beautifully refined and fast growing evergreen hedge for mild maritime climates, its small, wavy-edged, glossy leaves — available in green, silver-grey, purple, and variegated forms — creating an attractive and distinctly elegant hedge of considerable ornamental quality at moderate growing speed.
Its remarkable tolerance of coastal salt spray and wind combined with its outstanding ornamental foliage qualities makes pittosporum one of the most beautiful fast growing hedge choices available for mild seaside gardens. For more coastal and ornamental fast growing hedge ideas, our colorful shrubs guide covers pittosporum varieties and their most beautiful garden applications in excellent, inspiring detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Growth Rate | 12–18 inches per year |
| Mature Height | 8–15 feet |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 8–10 |
| Best Varieties | Silver Sheen, Tom Thumb, Golf Ball, Irene Paterson |
| Spacing | 3–4 feet apart |
| Best For | Mild coastal gardens, ornamental hedge display |
20. Budget Fast Growing Hedge
Establishing a fast growing privacy hedge on a very tight budget is completely achievable by purchasing bare-root hedging whips in winter — when the same plants cost 70–80% less than their container-grown equivalents — and planting them immediately for spring establishment and vigorous summer growth.
A 30-metre hedge of bare-root privet, hawthorn, or hornbeam whips can be established for under $60, delivering a fast growing, beautiful, and ecologically valuable boundary at a cost that no fence, wall, or other privacy solution can come close to matching. For comprehensive budget hedge planting and establishment guidance, our cheap landscaping ideas guide covers affordable fast growing hedge creation in genuinely practical, money-saving detail.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Budget Hedges | Bare-root privet, hawthorn, hornbeam, laurel whips |
| Best Buying Season | Winter — bare-root prices 70–80% lower |
| Planting Time | November to March for best establishment |
| Spacing | 18–24 inches for quickest screening |
| Difficulty Level | Beginner |
| Estimated Cost | $30–$100 for 30 metres of complete hedge |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the fastest growing hedge for privacy?
Leyland cypress and Green Giant arborvitae are the fastest growing hedges for privacy, both gaining 3–5 feet per year under good conditions. For a more manageable alternative, cherry laurel and privet both grow 2–3 feet annually and create equally dense, effective privacy screens. Our fast growing privacy shrubs guide covers every fast-establishing hedge species in excellent detail.
Q2: When is the best time to plant a fast growing hedge?
Autumn and winter are the best times to plant fast growing hedges, particularly for bare-root deciduous species which establish most vigorously when planted between November and March while dormant. Container-grown evergreen hedges can be planted at any time of year but establish fastest when planted in autumn or early spring before summer heat arrives.
Q3: How do I make my fast growing hedge thicker and denser?
Trim the sides of fast growing hedges lightly in the first two to three years rather than waiting for them to reach final height — this encourages dense lateral branching from the base upward, preventing the bare-legged, sparse appearance that results from allowing hedges to grow unchecked to height before trimming. Our fence line landscaping guide covers hedge establishment and thickening strategies in practical, helpful detail.
Q4: How do I protect my fast growing hedge from pests and disease?
Inspect hedges regularly for aphid colonies, scale insects, and fungal diseases and treat promptly before problems spread. Ensure good air circulation by trimming regularly and avoid overwatering newly planted hedges. Our guides on get rid of ants in your yard and eliminate ground moles cover garden pest management strategies that protect newly planted hedge root systems effectively.
Conclusion
A fast growing hedge is the most natural, beautiful, and ecologically valuable garden boundary investment available — delivering increasing privacy, seasonal beauty, and wildlife support with every single year of establishment and growth.
Explore more garden boundary and privacy planting inspiration through our guides on flowering trees, fast growing privacy shrubs and fence line landscaping to find your perfect fast growing hedge solution today.
