If you are overlooked, the temptation is to buy whatever grows fastest. Fast growing shrubs for privacy do exist, and a few of them will screen a fence within a handful of years. The catch is that speed does not stop once the hedge reaches the height you wanted: a vigorous hedge keeps growing, and you are the one who has to cut it two or three times a year. Choosing well means balancing how quickly a plant fills in against how big it wants to get, how much trimming you can face, and whether it will cope with your soil and exposure.
The quickest privacy plants, at a glance
| Fastest evergreen screen | Leyland cypress, which the RHS describes as very rapid in growth. Useful for a tall screen, but the RHS rates it less satisfactory as a smaller trimmed hedge. |
|---|---|
| Fast and tough on the coast | Elaeagnus × ebbingei: fast-growing, evergreen and tolerant of coastal winds, reaching 2.5 to 4 m in about 5 to 10 years. |
| Big, glossy and quick | Cherry laurel, a dense evergreen the RHS calls a superb hedging shrub, though it can become a nuisance if it is not managed. |
| Fast deciduous with winter cover | Beech, which the RHS calls quick growing; clipped beech holds its dead brown leaves through winter. |
| Slower, but easier to live with | Yew, holly and hornbeam. Government guidance on avoiding hedge disputes suggests plants like these that will not grow too large. |
Fast growing shrubs for privacy compared
The table uses the RHS plant profiles and hedge selection guide. The RHS rarely gives a growth rate in centimetres, so the speed column uses its own wording. The height column is how tall the plant gets if you leave it untrimmed, with the RHS time to maturity in brackets: a reminder of what you are holding back, not how tall your hedge has to be.
| Plant | Evergreen? | Growth (RHS) | Untrimmed height | Conditions | Wind and coast | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leyland cypress (× Cuprocyparis leylandii) | Yes | Very rapid | Over 12 m; can pass 30 m unchecked (10 to 20 years) | Any aspect; chalk, clay, loam or sand; hardy throughout the UK (H6) | Listed for exposed or sheltered sites | Will not regrow from old wood; needs two or three trims a year |
| Western red cedar (Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens') | Yes | Rapid | 20 to 35 m (20 to 50 years) | Moist but well-drained soil; not listed for north-facing spots; H6 | RHS suggests it for cold, exposed inland sites | Harmful if eaten and can cause skin allergy; wear gloves |
| Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) | Yes | Fast-growing | 4 to 8 m, spreading over 8 m (20 to 50 years) | Sun or shade, any aspect; H5 | Listed for cold, exposed inland sites | Can turn yellow on shallow chalk; seeds harmful if eaten and harmful to pets |
| Elaeagnus × ebbingei | Yes | Fast-growing | 2.5 to 4 m (5 to 10 years) | Any aspect; tolerates dry soil; H5 | Tolerant of coastal winds; on the RHS list for the most exposed coastal sites | May turn yellow on shallow chalk |
| Griselinia littoralis | Yes | Fast-growing | 4 to 8 m (10 to 20 years) | Full sun, south or west facing; well-drained soil; H5 | RHS hedge guide: mild coastal areas only | Not one for a cold, north-facing boundary |
| Garden privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) | Semi-evergreen | Vigorous; needs frequent pruning | 4 to 8 m (10 to 20 years) | Any aspect; H4 | Listed for exposed or sheltered sites | Prone to honey fungus; harmful if eaten, including to dogs |
| Lonicera ligustrina 'Maigrün' | Yes | Strong-growing | 1 to 1.5 m (5 to 10 years) | Any aspect and soil; H6 | Listed for exposed or sheltered sites | A low hedge only; it will not screen a fence |
| Beech (Fagus sylvatica) | No, but clipped beech keeps dead leaves | Quick growing | Over 12 m (20 to 50 years) | Any free-draining soil; H6 | Listed for exposed or sheltered sites | Roots may rot in waterlogged soil |
| Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) | No | Vigorous; needs frequent pruning | 4 to 8 m (10 to 20 years) | Any aspect; not waterlogged; hardiest rating (H7) | Listed for exposed sites | Thorny; loses its leaves in winter |
| Yew (Taxus baccata) | Yes | Up to 30 cm a year once established | Over 12 m (20 to 50 years) | Any aspect; well-drained soil; H7 | Tolerates exposure | Toxic to people and pets; hates waterlogging |
Two popular evergreen shrubs are missing from the fast list on purpose. Photinia 'Red Robin', grown for its bright red young leaves, is listed by the RHS for sheltered sites only and is prone to leaf spotting in cold, wet winters. Viburnum tinus, with glossy dark green foliage and creamy-white flowers from late winter into spring, is also listed for sheltered positions and is only rated H4. Both are fine in a protected town garden, but neither is a quick fix for an exposed boundary.
Evergreen or deciduous: how much privacy you get in winter
The RHS is blunt about it: you will not get the same privacy from a deciduous hedge as from an evergreen one. Evergreens give year-round screening and shelter, but they need more maintenance, ideally two cuts a year, and most conifers will not recover if they are neglected and then cut back hard. Yew is the exception.
Deciduous hedges are more forgiving to prune and filter winter wind instead of creating the turbulence a dense evergreen wall can cause. Beech and hornbeam are the useful middle ground: young and clipped beech holds its dead leaves through winter, and hornbeam does the same for a shorter time. The screen turns brown rather than disappearing, which for many overlooked gardens is enough.
Fast growing hedges for windy and coastal North East gardens
Exposure matters more than speed here. A plant that races away in a sheltered southern garden can sulk on a cold boundary near the Durham coast, and much of County Durham sits on clay that stays wet in winter. A few points from the RHS guidance on cold and coastal sites:
- For cold, exposed inland sites, the RHS suggests Berberis × stenophylla, hornbeam, hawthorn, beech, holly, cherry laurel, Portugal laurel, yew and western red cedar.
- For the most exposed, salt-laden coastal sites, its list includes Elaeagnus × ebbingei, Euonymus japonicus, sea buckthorn, Lonicera nitida, blackthorn and, among trees, hawthorn and Thuja plicata.
- Hornbeam is better suited to cold situations than beech, and the RHS recommends it over beech on very heavy or wet soil.
- Monterey cypress is not suited to cold inland areas, and many classic seaside shrubs, such as Pittosporum tenuifolium, Olearia and Griselinia, are restricted to milder areas.
- A hedge beats a fence for shelter. The RHS advises a wind-filtering screen of trees or shrubs rather than a solid wall or fence, and says a windbreak can reduce wind for a distance of ten times its height on its sheltered side.
For a fast, evergreen screen in an exposed garden near the coast, Elaeagnus × ebbingei is worth a close look: its RHS profile lists it as fast-growing, tolerant of coastal wind and happy in any aspect.
The Leylandii problem and the high hedges law
Leyland cypress is the fastest of the common privacy plants, and that is exactly the problem. Its RHS profile puts it at over 12 m, and more than 30 m if unchecked. It must be trimmed two or three times in the growing season, cutting only young green shoots, because new growth will not appear from bare wood. Let it get away from you and you cannot simply cut it back hard: the RHS says a healthy hedge usually tolerates a height reduction of up to a third, best done in early April, and taking off more can kill older plants. In an RHS article on plants for privacy, Graham Rice's advice is to avoid it: "they get far too big, far too quickly".
What the law says about tall evergreen hedges
In England, Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 lets a neighbour complain to the council about a high hedge. Section 66 defines one as a barrier to light or access formed wholly or mainly by a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, rising more than two metres above ground level. The GOV.UK guide to complaining adds the practical detail:
| Talk first | The council can reject a complaint if you have not taken all reasonable steps to settle the dispute yourselves. |
|---|---|
| There is a fee | If the council accepts your complaint you will most likely pay a fee, and it is usually not refunded. |
| What the council can order | A remedial notice setting out the work and a timetable, including ongoing maintenance. Not complying is an offence with a fine of up to £1,000. |
| What it cannot order | Removing the hedge, anything likely to kill it, cutting it below 2 m, or dealing with root problems such as subsidence. |
| Single plants are not covered | One tree or shrub on its own cannot be the subject of a complaint. |
The simplest way to stay out of this is to pick a hedge you can keep at the height you need. A deciduous hedge of beech, hornbeam or hawthorn falls outside the high hedge rules, because they only cover hedges formed wholly or mainly of evergreens and semi-evergreens.
Planting a native hedge for privacy and wildlife
If your aim is screening plus birds and insects, a mixed native hedge is worth considering. It is not as fast or as solid as Leylandii, but hawthorn is quick to establish, holly keeps it thick in winter, and blackthorn is strong-growing and thorny, which also deters intruders. Hawthorn flowers feed pollinators, and thicker hedges give good cover for nesting birds. Bare-root hedging is cheap and goes in while the plants are dormant, and the species mix and spacing you choose when planting a native hedge decide how dense it gets and how soon it screens.
Hedge cutting and nesting birds
Fast growing hedges need cutting during the months birds are nesting, so timing matters. Under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. The RHS puts the main UK nesting season at early March to early August, sometimes longer.
- Check the hedge carefully for nests before you trim, every time.
- If you find an active nest, leave that stretch until the young have fledged.
- Where you can, do the main cut in late summer: the RHS suggests August for beech, mid to late summer for hornbeam and late summer for holly.
- Leylandii is pruned between April and the end of August, so with conifers the nest check before each cut is not optional.
- Informal hedges are usually cut just once a year, which leaves more flowers and berries for wildlife.
Privacy without a tall hedge: trellis, pleached trees and bamboo
Government guidance on hedge disputes points out that trellis, pergolas or carefully placed trees can sometimes give the screening you want without a tall hedge. In an overlooked garden, part of the answer can be the layout of the garden, such as a screen right beside the seat rather than a tall hedge along the whole boundary.
Trellis with climbers
Trellis on top of or in front of a fence works well. For dense cover, the RHS suggests training ivy or another evergreen climber through the trellis to make a "fedge". Clematis and honeysuckle grow mostly at the top, so they screen poorly unless pruned carefully. For a quick summer screen while a hedge grows, climbing nasturtiums and runner beans fill in fast.
Pleached trees
Pleached trees are trained on a clear stem, giving privacy at the height of a neighbour's window without taking up much ground. Hornbeam keeps its russet leaves in winter, and crab apples add spring blossom. They can be bought ready trained, but they need pruning every year to keep their shape.
Bamboo: choose clump-forming only
Running bamboo spreads by underground rhizomes, which the RHS says can travel over 1 m a year and often go unnoticed until shoots appear, including in next door's garden. Phyllostachys, Sasa and Pseudosasa are among the running types. If you want bamboo, choose a clump-forming one such as Fargesia, which the RHS lists for screening. If a running bamboo is already there, the RHS advice is a purpose-made root barrier at least 60 cm deep, standing at least 7.5 cm above the soil.
Planting and spacing a fast growing hedge
- Plant at the right time. The RHS advises planting deciduous hedging from autumn to late winter and evergreen hedging in autumn or spring. Bare-root plants are only sold while dormant.
- Buy small. Small transplants of about 60 cm establish more rapidly than larger plants. Semi-mature hedging gives a quicker result but costs more and needs extra watering for about two years.
- Prepare a trench. Clear the weeds and dig a trench 60 to 90 cm wide and a spade's depth, set slightly back from the boundary so the hedge can fill out without spilling onto next door or the pavement.
- Space to suit the plant. The RHS hedge guide suggests about 60 cm apart for Elaeagnus, Griselinia, cherry laurel and western red cedar; 60 to 75 cm for Leylandii; 45 to 60 cm for beech; 45 cm for hornbeam; and 37.5 cm for privet. Close up slightly in poor soil or difficult conditions.
- Water and mulch. Water well after planting and regularly for the first two years, and mulch to hold in moisture and keep weeds down.
- Prune to thicken it. For deciduous hedges, cut the leading shoots and side shoots back by about a third in the winter after planting and the next. For evergreens, leave the leader alone until it reaches the height you want and trim straggly side shoots.
Be realistic about timing. Government guidance suggests a temporary screen beside a new hedge may be needed for three to seven years while it grows, which is where trellis and annual climbers earn their place.
