Top 5 fast growing Hedges - A 360° garden makeover

Fast growing hedges can transform your ordinary gardens into an aesthetic landscape. If you are looking for privacy or noise blocking from the neighborhood, forget iron fencing or stone walls. These fast growing evergreen shrubs, a natural, all season friendly hedging option is everything you need to look into.

Instant hedging options are both cost and time effective for factors like low maintenance, budget-friendly, size variations and privacy. Long waits of seasons and years are over, tall and vibrant-looking fast growing hedges would be there in your garden in matter of days or months.

Here’s our pick for top 5 fast growing shrubs/hedges you need for the complete makeover of your garden.

Leylandii

Scientific name : Cupressaceae x leylandii

Benefits

1. Leylandii is one the fastest growing hedges.
2. All weather friendly.
3. Availability in varying sizes.
4. They can grow upto 1m every year in the extreme environment with zero care.
5. Cheaper and easy to grow.
6. Dense foliage.
7. Provide sound resistance and pollution screening.


Pruning tip - Trim once a year during spring or summer season from top and sides to form the desired shape.

Portuguese Laurel

Scientific name : PRUNUS LUSITANICA

Benefits

1. Portuguese Laurel have vibrant, dense, green-spiky leaves with bright red stems.
2. Ornamental shrub widely used for landscaping.
3. Best for warm regions.
4. Drought-tolerant.
5. Imparts a neat and formal appearance to the garden.
6. Growth rate can be upto 30cm to 60cm in a year.
7. It bears fragrant white flowers in summer

Pruning tip - Trimming once a year maintains their compact growth.

Schip Laurel

Scientific name - PRUNUS L. ‘SCHIPKAENSIS

Benefits

1. Attractive hedging option with long, glossy, dark-green leaves.
2. They can grow upto 40ft tall.
3. Growth rate upto 3.5 feet per year.
4. Best option for narrow corners and shadier environments.
5. Dense evergreen foliage promotes privacy.
6. White fragrant flowers are bees and birds friendly.
7. Excellent fencing option with noise and pollution block.

Pruning tip - Yearly pruning is sufficient to maintain a clean, non-shaggy appearance without much fuss. It can easily grow in any soil type.

English Laurel

Scientific name - PRUNUS LAUROCERASUS

Benefits

1. Popularly chosen evergreen shrubs for broad, glossy, bright-green foliage.
2. Most rapidly growing hedge.
3. Grow up to 40ft in height at full maturity.
4. Ideal choice for taller hedges.
5. Good for privacy purposes due to fast growth.
6. Apt for coastal soil type and climate due to salt resistance.
7. Produces aromatic white flowers.
8. Tough and hardy shrubs.

Pruning tip - The rapidly growing foliage can require upto 2 prunings in a year. Best growth in moisture-laden soil with minimum use of fertilizers.

Western red cedars

Scientific name - Thuja Plicata

Benefits

1. Rapidly growing evergreen conifers with bushy and aromatic foliage.
2. Growth rate can be 2.5ft every year in favoured conditioning.
3. May grow up to 200ft tall and 6m wide
4. Resistant to strong winds and cold.
5. Suitable to all soil types.
6. Easy to maintain.
7. Good noise-block option.
8. Can regenerate from old wood.

Pruning tip - Do not prune the cedar very often.They grow naturally into conical shapes. Trimming needs to be done when new foliage blocks sunlight for other branches or in case of damaged branches. Early spring is the best pruning time for cedars.