Shield your home naturally with these nine fast hedge options

Posted on 25/05/2025

Shield Your Home Naturally with These Nine Fast Hedge Options

Looking to shield your home naturally and add green privacy to your landscape? Planting fast-growing hedges offers an eco-friendly, attractive solution. In this article, we'll guide you through nine of the best fast hedge options that not only serve as living fences but also enhance your home's beauty and security. Whether you're in search of privacy screens, windbreaks, or simple property dividers, these verdant barriers grow quickly to provide natural coverage in just a few seasons.

Why Choose Fast-Growing Hedges?

• Rapid Privacy: Quickly transform your garden into a private sanctuary.
• Eco-Friendly: Natural hedges improve air quality, support wildlife, and reduce noise pollution.
• Cost-Effective: Far less expensive in the long run compared to installing fences.
• Security: Dense, thorny options deter unwanted visitors.
• Curb Appeal: Lush green walls enhance property aesthetics and value.

Let's dive into the top nine fast hedge choices to protect your home naturally--with advice on growth rates, maintenance, and unique features.

1. Leyland Cypress - The Classic Quick-Grower

Overview

Leyland Cypress (Cupressus x leylandii) is among the speediest evergreen hedging plants. It thrives in most climates, quickly forming a tall, dense screen ideal for privacy.

• Growth Rate: Up to 3 feet per year
• Height: Mature height of 60-70 feet, easily pruned for lower boundaries
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Tolerance: Adapts to a wide range of soils

**Key Benefit:** Exceptional for rapid, solid privacy shields, especially in large areas.

Maintenance Tips

Prune regularly in spring or summer to maintain shape and encourage thick growth. Water well during dry spells.

2. Green Giant Arborvitae - The Super Privacy Hedge

Overview

Thuja 'Green Giant' has soared in popularity for its sturdy disease resistance and extreme speed.

• Growth Rate: 3-5 feet per year
• Height: Reaches 30-40 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun

**Key Benefit:** Tolerates a variety of soil and weather conditions, maintaining vibrant green color through all seasons.

Maintenance Tips

Trim annually to manage height and shape. Requires minimal fertilization.

3. Privet - The Versatile Privacy Shield

Overview

Privet (Ligustrum spp.) is a classic choice for formal and informal boundaries, thriving in urban and rural settings.

• Growth Rate: 2-3 feet per year
• Height: Usually 8-12 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to shade

**Key Benefit:** Sprouts dense, lush foliage that's easy to shape--ideal for topiary enthusiasts!

Maintenance Tips

Prune twice yearly for dense hedging and tidy lines. Water frequently during establishment.

4. Bamboo - Exotic and Fast-Growing

Overview

If you crave an exotic, modern look, clumping bamboo varieties offer extremely rapid privacy solutions.

• Growth Rate: 3-5 feet per year (some species reach up to 10 feet!)
• Height: Most types grow 10-25 feet
• Sun Exposure: Sun to partial shade

**Key Benefit:** Instant screening and sound reduction; best for non-invasive, clumping types.

Maintenance Tips

Stick with clumping bamboo to avoid aggressive spreading. Cut back old canes to ground level each spring.

5. Cherry Laurel - Lush and Hardy

Overview

The Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a robust, evergreen shrub with glossy leaves, perfect for natural security hedges.

• Growth Rate: Up to 2 feet per year
• Height: Reaches 10-20 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to deep shade

**Key Benefit:** Thrives in urban pollution and deep shade--very versatile.

Maintenance Tips

Tolerates heavy pruning and responds well to shaping. Water during dry summers.

6. Photinia Red Robin - A Splash of Color

Overview

Famed for its vivid red new growth, Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin' offers both privacy and ornamental value.

• Growth Rate: About 1-2 feet per year
• Height: Up to 12-15 feet

**Key Benefit:** Adds year-round color while acting as an effective living divider.

Maintenance Tips

Trim lightly after red shoots form for a thick, bushy hedge. Photinia prefers well-drained soil.

7. Hornbeam - The Deciduous Powerhouse

Overview

Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a fast-growing deciduous hedge that holds onto dry leaves through winter for year-round screening.

• Growth Rate: 1-2 feet per year
• Height: 15-30 feet, pruned to desired height
• Sun Exposure: Sun to partial shade

**Key Benefit:** Superb for formal, dense green privacy borders.

Maintenance Tips

Prune once or twice in summer for a neat appearance. Water during hot spells.

8. Escallonia - Ever-Blooming Beauty

Overview

Escallonia is renowned for its lush, thick foliage and pretty pink or white flowers throughout spring and summer.

• Growth Rate: 1-2 feet per year
• Height: Up to 10 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun

**Key Benefit:** Attracts pollinators while providing continuous privacy and color.

Maintenance Tips

Thrives in coastal and windy locations. Clip back after flowering to encourage more blooms.

9. Elaeagnus - Silver-Green Elegance

Overview

With its unique silvery-green leaves and tough constitution, Elaeagnus x ebbingei is a quick, salt-tolerant privacy screen.

• Growth Rate: Up to 2 feet per year
• Height: 10-12 feet
• Sun Exposure: Sun or partial shade

**Key Benefit:** Ideal for challenging conditions, including coastal gardens.

Maintenance Tips

Responds well to regular trimming and minimal feeding; water until established.

How to Choose the Best Fast Hedge for Your Home

With so many outstanding options, selecting the ideal fast-growing privacy hedge depends on a few important factors:

• Space: Measure your boundary to determine the mature width and height you can allow.
• Sunlight: Consider how much daily sun your garden receives.
• Maintenance: Are you seeking a low-maintenance or highly sculpted hedge?
• Climate: Some shrubs are drought- or frost-sensitive; check hardiness matches your zone.
• Desired effect: Whether for screening, wind protection, or decorative blooms.

Enhancing Security and Privacy with Natural Hedges

In addition to seclusion, hedges offer genuine security. Dense, thorny varieties like hawthorn or holly (not listed above) can be interplanted with your fast hedge for added deterrence. Fast-growing hedges not only serve as robust barriers but introduce texture, wildlife-interest, and year-round visual appeal to your living space.

Environmental Benefits of Using Fast Hedges

• Reduced Carbon Footprint: Hedges filter air and sequester carbon dioxide.
• Biodiversity Boost: Shelter birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects.
• Soil and Water Conservation: Roots prevent erosion and runoff.

Planting and Care Tips for Fast-Growing Hedge Plants

1. Space properly--allow sufficient room for mature width.
2. Water regularly for the first two years while roots establish.
3. Fertilize lightly in spring to boost growth.
4. Mulch around the root zone to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
5. Prune annually for shape and density.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fast-Growing Living Walls

• How quickly can I expect a living privacy wall?
  Many fast hedge options reach over 5-6 feet in just two to three years with proper care.
• What are the lowest maintenance fast hedges?
  Elm-leaved privet, Green Giant Arborvitae, and Elaeagnus need little aftercare once established.
• Which hedges are best in small gardens?
  Photinia, cherry laurel, and hornbeam are excellent choices for limited spaces as you can control their height.

Conclusion: Boost Security and Beauty by Shielding Your Home Naturally

The right choice of fast-growing natural hedge provides instant privacy, eco-benefits, and year-round curb appeal. Whether you crave dramatic green screens, flowering borders, or unique textures, these nine fast hedge options offer a smart, organic way to shield your home naturally.

Start planting today and enjoy a healthier, more beautiful, and more secure landscape in just a few short years.