An established Beech hedge has an average growth rate of around 30-60cm per year but reaches a maximum of 5m plus once mature. This is an average-fast rate of growth compared to other plants.
How can I make my beech hedge grow faster?
Beech aren’t heavy feeders. But if you wish to speed up growth, perhaps so a hedge provides screening more quickly for example, apply a general-purpose fertiliser such as Growmore or blood, fish and bone no earlier than the second spring after planting.
What is the fastest growing privacy hedge?
With growth rates from 3 to 5 feet per year the fastest growing privacy hedges are Thuja Green Giant, Leyland Cypress, Cryptomeria Radicans, and Wax Myrtle. Carolina Sapphire Cypress, Nellie Stevens Holly, Oakland Holly, and Wavy Leaf Ligustrum offer fast privacy with 2 to 3 feet of upward growth per year.
How tall will a beech hedge grow?
The average height for a beech hedge is between 90cm and 2.4m but some people grow theirs to five metres or more. Once your hedge has reached the height you want, we recommend you schedule an annual trim for around August time to keep it looking neat and well-managed.
How quickly do beech hedges grow? – Related Questions
What is the best time of year to plant a beech hedge?
We are often asked this question – from a horticultural point of view the very best time to plant almost all Beech hedge plants (especially bare roots and rootballs) is in late Autumn or early Winter.
How often should you cut a beech hedge?
If left unpruned, hedges start to look tatty and lose their desired shape. Beech and hornbeam put on two flushes of growth in the year – one main flush in spring and a second, smaller spurt in late summer. Ideally they should be cut back after each flush to keep them tidy.
Is a beech hedge good for privacy?
Beech hedging (Fagus sylvatica) is a beautiful year-round hedge that provides a fantastic alternative to evergreen hedging. Typically, beech hedging should grow by around 30cm per year, making it a perfect privacy hedge for any garden.
How far apart do you plant a beech hedge?
To grow beech as a hedge, space plants from 25-45cm apart, depending on plant size and how quickly you want to achieve a dense hedge. For quick results, plant in a double staggered row with 30cm between the two rows. Plant into well-cultivated weed-free ground, at the same depth as the plant was growing previously.
How wide should a beech hedge be?
Beech hedging spacing
Cell grown should be planted at 4 per metre in a single row or 6 per metre in a staggered row but particularly with this species you could consider planting more densely.
How long does a beech hedge last?
Beech hedging is a resilient and robust hedging type that can easily live for a hundred years without too much care or maintenance.
When should you not cut a beech hedge?
To keep them from looking scrappy you should do one major cut back a year at the end of summer and a minor trim to keep them near and tidy in February. It is important not to cut your hedges too early – wait until the late summer. This will allow your beech to keep its recent flush of new leaves over the winter.
Is beech a good hedge?
Beech hedging plants have a huge range of benefits including privacy and screening properties, wind and noise reduction, and the ability to be grown as either a formal hedge or left with a more natural aesthetic.
How do I make my beech hedge bushy?
Regularly pruning and trimming beech hedges encourages more branches and leaves to grow. This translates to a fuller hedge with fewer gaps or bald spots. Likewise, pruning at the correct time of year allows beech hedge plants to retain their foliage throughout the winter.
What kills beech hedge?
Frost damage
The new tender Spring growths of Beech hedges can be severely damaged by late Spring frosts that occur after the leaves have emerged. As Beech is quite late to come into leaf this may not be a common occurrence and a frost of this nature is likely to damage other susceptible trees and shrubs as well.
How do you fill a gap in a beech hedge?
For deciduous hedges such as beech and hawthorn, you are best to the winter and obtain bare root or root-wrapped plants to instantly fill the gaps in the autumn, plants can be planted in the spring and summer as pot plants but are normally more expensive.
Can I trim a beech hedge in July?
For a really sharp ‘show garden’ hedge you can trim more frequently and you will be rewarded with a very fine looking dense hedge but it important to check for nesting birds before trimming between the end of March and the end of July.
When should you not cut hedges?
We recommend avoiding hedge cutting during the main breeding season for nesting birds, which usually runs throughout March to August each year. This can be weather dependent and some birds may nest outside this period, so it is important to always check carefully for active nests prior to cutting.
Should you cut hedges in hot weather?
Generally, hedges tend to have two main growing phases – first in spring and then in summer. It’s best to avoid cutting your hedge down at these times.