Hedging
Large Instant Hedging
Mature, premium hedging for an instant result
Extra-mature, pre-formed hedges for gardens, estates and commercial projects
When you need privacy, structure and screening from day one, large instant hedging is the answer. Our premium instant hedges are grown on for years, clipped into dense, finished shapes and selected for quality, so your garden looks established the moment they go in.
From a single run of yew around a London terrace to hundreds of metres of beech for a country estate, we source, supply and deliver large instant hedging nationwide. Send us your lengths and heights and we will quote for the whole project.
Why choose instant hedging?
Immediate privacy and screening
Dense, finished shape from day one
Extra-mature, premium plants, hand-selected
Large quantities for long runs and big projects
Nationwide delivery with HI-AB or Moffett offload
Instant hedging plants
Explore our most popular hedging plants, all available as large instant hedging. Looking for something else? We can source it.
Taxus baccata
Instant yew hedging: the classic evergreen for crisp, formal lines.
Fagus sylvatica
Instant beech hedging that holds its copper leaves through winter.
Carpinus betulus
Instant hornbeam hedging, tough and ideal for clay and exposed sites.
Acer campestre
Field maple for a softer, native look with golden autumn colour.
Ilex crenata
A fine-leaved evergreen and a reliable alternative to box.
Pleached trees
For screening above fence height, pair instant hedging with pleached trees.
Why instant hedging
When you need a hedge now, not in five years, this is how you get one. Each element is a 1 metre length of hedge, several plants grown together in a trough and clipped on all sides for years before it reaches you. Plant them end to end and you have a hedge that looks established from the first day.
It's the answer for screening a neighbour's window, framing a new terrace, finishing a build to a deadline. The joins between elements disappear within a season. Where there's more time and a longer boundary, younger hedging plants are the more economical choice, and many gardens use both: instant hedging where it matters most, younger plants further away.
Choosing a plant and height
Choose a plant that clips into a tight, dense surface. Yew is the classic, dark, formal and happy in sun or shade. Beech and hornbeam hold their dry leaves through winter when clipped, and hornbeam is especially good on heavy clay and exposed sites. Laurel, privet and holly all make lovely evergreen instant hedges too.
Most elements are chosen at around 1 to 2m. Around 1 to 1.25m makes low divisions and garden rooms, 1.5 to 1.75m encloses a seating area while keeping a sense of openness, and 1.8 to 2m gives full privacy at fence height. You need one element for every metre of hedge. Our hedging plants page compares every hedge we grow.
Planting the troughs
Elements can be planted for most of the year, avoiding frozen ground and drought, though autumn is ideal. They're far too heavy to lift by hand, so measure gateways and paths before delivery and choose a level spot near the planting line to offload to. Dig a trench about 20cm wider than the troughs on each side, deep enough for the top of the root ball to sit level with the soil. Depending on how they're grown, some troughs go in as they are and others are lifted out first, and the team will advise. Set them end to end, check the line and height, then backfill and firm well. Soak each one until water stands in the trench, and mulch with peat-free compost. On windy sites, stake it until the roots grow out.
Looking after it
A big hedge has a lot of leaf for its roots, so the first two summers are what count. Water deeply once or twice a week in dry or warm weather, soaking the whole root ball, and remember evergreens such as yew and laurel need water in dry spells in winter and spring too. A leaky hose laid along the base at planting makes this easy. Your hedge arrives clipped, so it needs only a light trim in the first year. After that, clip once a year in late summer, or twice for privet and laurel.
Frequently asked questions
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Instant hedging is mature hedging grown on for several years and clipped into a dense, finished shape before delivery, so it looks established from the day it is planted. It comes as ready-made hedge elements, usually 1 m long and planted end to end, or as mature root-balled hedging plants planted close together.
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Instant hedge elements are most often chosen at around 100 to 200cm (3 to 6.5 ft), from low structural hedges up to full privacy at fence height. Mature root-balled hedging plants are available taller, at 250cm to 3m and more, for higher screening. Live sizes are shown on each plant's page.
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Yew, beech, hornbeam, cherry laurel, Portuguese laurel, privet and holly all make excellent instant hedges because they clip into a tight, dense surface and settle well after moving. Yew, laurel and holly are evergreen, while clipped beech and hornbeam hold their dry leaves through winter.
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Instant hedge elements are usually 1 m long and are planted end to end, so you need one element for every metre of hedge. A 12 m hedge, for example, needs twelve elements. The team confirms quantities for each order.
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Instant hedge elements can be planted for most of the year, avoiding frozen ground and periods of drought, as long as they are watered carefully in warm weather. Root-balled instant hedging is planted in the dormant season, from around October or November to March. Autumn is the ideal time for both.
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Instant hedging is heavy, so our in-house team delivers it on our own vehicles or with trusted hauliers and offloads larger pieces by HIAB crane or Moffett truck-mounted forklift. Check access, gateways, overhead cables and parking before delivery, and the team plans the details with you in advance. Delivery is available nationwide.
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Instant hedging we hold in stock can usually be delivered quickly, often the next working day subject to scheduling. Hedging brought in for your order usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks, and large or unusual orders may take longer. The team confirms timings for every order.
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Water deeply once or twice a week in dry or warm weather for the first two summers, soaking the whole root ball, and keep the base weed-free and mulched. A leaky hose along the base makes this easy. Clip lightly in the first year and then once a year in late summer, checking for nesting birds first.
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The cost of instant hedging depends on the plant, the height and width, the format and the length of the hedge, as well as delivery and access. Slow-growing plants such as yew cost more than quicker ones because they take longer to grow. Live prices are shown on each plant's page, and the team confirms the final price for every order.
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Instant hedging is worth it when you need privacy, structure or a finished look straight away, for example near the house, around a terrace or for a project with a deadline. Where there is time for a hedge to grow, Value hedging of younger plants is more economical. Many gardens combine the two to spend the budget where it makes the most difference.
Get a quote for instant hedging
Tell us the plants, heights and lengths you need, plus your delivery postcode and timescale. Email info@formplants.com. Stock varies through the seasons, so please get in touch before visiting and we will check availability.
Explore all our plants
Trees · Multi-stem trees · Pleached trees · Standard trees · Parasol trees · Topiary · Hedging · Instant hedging · Shrubs · Perennials · Bespoke sourcing · Contract growing
Can’t see what you’re looking for?
Get in touch and we’ll help you find it. Our nursery is very well stocked and we can source almost any plant through our network of trusted growers. Email info@formplants.com, or send us your whole plant list through our bespoke sourcing service.