Instant hedging or value hedging: which should you choose?
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Suggested lead photograph: instant hedging or value hedging: which should you choose?
Choose large instant hedging when you need privacy, structure or a finished look straight away. Choose value hedging when you have time to let it grow and want to keep costs down. Both give you a beautiful hedge; the difference is how soon.
What is instant hedging?
Instant hedging is extra-mature hedging that has been grown on for years and clipped into a dense, pre-formed shape. Plant it, water it in and you have a hedge that looks established from the first day. That makes it ideal for screening neighbours, framing a new garden or finishing a project to a deadline.
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Suggested photograph: what is value hedging?
What is value hedging?
Value hedging uses healthy, good-quality younger plants. Because they are smaller and more affordable, they are perfect for longer runs and everyday jobs. They simply take longer to knit together into a dense hedge, usually a few growing seasons depending on the plant and the size you start with.
Side by side
| Large instant hedging | Value hedging | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Immediate | Builds over time |
| Look on day one | A finished, dense hedge | A neat row of young plants |
| Cost | Premium | Budget-friendly |
| Best for | High-end gardens, estates, commercial projects and deadlines | Long runs, boundaries, new gardens with time to grow |
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Suggested photograph: which plants work best?
Which plants work best?
Taxus baccata (yew), Fagus sylvatica (beech) and Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) are the classic choices for both ranges. For a wildlife-friendly boundary, mixed native hedging is a great value option. If you are weighing up the two deciduous classics, read beech or hornbeam hedging.
Mix and match
Many projects use both. Large instant hedging goes where privacy matters most, such as near the house or a terrace, while value hedging runs along the longer boundaries where there is time for it to grow. This way the budget is spent where it makes the most immediate difference.
Planting tips
Whichever you choose, good soil preparation and regular watering in the first two summers make all the difference. Our guide on how to plant a hedge takes you through it step by step.
Get a quote
Send us the plants, heights and lengths you need and we will quote for instant hedging, value hedging or a mix of both. Explore large instant hedging, or email info@formplants.com.