Delivery within 30 days

Nationwide, or your money back.

Large order discounts

When you buy 5+ meters

Planting available

Planting date within 60 days

Skip to product information
Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length
Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Instant Hedging

Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

£320.00
Select Instant Hedging Height

AT A GLANCE

Commonly chosen for its reliability and seasonal charm, Field Maple creates a strong, natural privacy barrier. Its dense green foliage and glowing autumn colour provide a smart, traditional look that suits both rural and modern settings.

  • UK Native
  • Full Sun
  • Partial Shade
  • Deciduous
FREE Delivery

Enjoy FREE mainland UK pallet delivery on all our instant hedging. Orders are typically dispatched and delivered within 30 working days of purchase. 

Your plants arrive securely wrapped on pallets, ensuring they stay protected and ready for planting. Deliveries are curbside only and require solid access for an 18-tonne lorry and pump truck.

For properties with restricted access or locations outside our standard delivery network, contact our team for tailored delivery advice and a personalised quote.


Read our Delivery Policy for full details.
Planting

We offer an optional professional planting service for customers who’d like our team to take care of the complete installation. Please note this is an add-on only service and must be purchased with our instant hedging.

 Our standard planting package starts at £1,500, which includes the planting of up to 18 instant hedging units (1 m each). To learn more about preparing for your planting day or to add our professional service to your order, visit our Professional Planting product page and visit our Terms of Service.

 If you’d rather plant your hedge yourself, we’ve created a DIY Planting Guide with step-by-step advice on site preparation, positioning the units, and helping your new hedge establish successfully.
Size & Handling

Each instant hedging unit is a mature, ready-grown hedge section designed to provide instant privacy and structure from the moment it’s planted. Supplied in convenient 100cm lengths, every section arrives pre-clipped, approximately 40cm deep, and grown to your chosen height for a finished, professional look straight away.

Your hedge will be delivered in strong cardboard troughs, measuring around 30–40cm wide and 35cm deep, with pre-cut lifting points for use with lifting hooks or or careful two-to-four-person handling.

These are substantial, field-grown hedge units, and proper handling is essential. Each section typically weighs between 100–200kg (and occasionally more), so please ensure suitable help or mechanical equipment is available to move and position your hedging safely and efficiently on site at the point of delivery.
Why Choose Instant Hedging

Each instant hedging module is made from 3–5 mature plants per linear metre, carefully grown together over several years to form a dense, seamless living screen. From the moment it’s planted, your hedge provides instant privacy, structure, and an established look that feels like it’s been part of your garden for years.

Unlike buying individual plants that need time to fill out, often leaving gaps and uneven growth, our instant hedging gives you a complete, uniform hedge straight away. There’s no need to measure planting distances, worry about spacing, or wait years for coverage.

Every section is professionally grown, pre-clipped, and evenly spaced, ensuring a consistent height and clean, finished face from day one. Simply choose your desired height and measure the metres you need. It’s that easy to transform your outdoor space with a ready-made, mature hedge.

SAVE 5%

WHEN YOU BUY 5+ METERS

SAVE 10%

WHEN YOU BUY 10+ METERS

SAVE 15%

WHEN YOU BUY 25+ METERS

SAVE 20%

WHEN YOU BUY 50+ METERS

SAVE 25%

WHEN YOU BUY 100+ METERS

Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple is an excellent choice if you want a hedge that combines natural beauty with year-round reliability. Its dense foliage offers strong summer privacy, while its stunning autumn colour brings warmth and seasonal character to the landscape. As a native species, it feels right at home in both countryside and suburban gardens — and supports a diverse range of British wildlife. If you’re looking for a hardy, easy-going hedge that delivers charm and ecological value, Field Maple is a fantastic option.
GROWTH & MAINTENANCE OF Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple is naturally capable of reaching 10–15 m in height if left untrimmed, developing into a full and spreading native tree. For hedge use, however, it is best maintained at a final working height of 2–4 m. At this scale it remains easy to trim, keeps excellent density, and continues to provide strong screening while still being practical to manage.

You can tailor the height depending on your design goals:
• Maintain at a moderate height with regular trimming for a neat, uniform barrier.
• Allow extra height and width where space permits — just account for the increased access and maintenance required as it grows.

To keep a thick wall of foliage right down to ground level, shape the hedge so it is slightly wider at the base than the top. This ensures good light penetration throughout the plant and prevents lower leaves from thinning out.
Planting Position & Access

Field Maple hedging is adaptable and will thrive in full sun or partial shade. It can be planted close to fences, boundary lines or other landscape features. Ideally, leave 0.5–1 m of working space behind the hedge where possible to allow access for trimming and long-term upkeep. Good access = easier maintenance and a healthier, denser hedge.
Spacing & Interaction with other plants

Consider how surrounding plants will influence growth over time:
• Positive — Companion shrubs or groundcovers benefit from shelter beneath the hedge, helping with soil stability and reducing weed competition.
• Negative — Large, thirsty trees or deep-rooting species planted too close may compete heavily for moisture and nutrients, slowing hedge development.

Give Field Maple enough space above and below ground and it will reward you with a beautifully structured, long-lasting native hedge.

Watering Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Watering is the single most important job when establishing field maple hedging into new ground. In production they’re watered little and often to build dense, healthy growth; once planted out they respond best to slow, deep soaks that wet the whole root zone rather than frequent light sprinkles. Check the top few centimetres—if it’s dry, water; if still damp, wait. Clay holds water longer, sandy soils drain fast, and exposed sites use more—adjust to site and season. Ensure free drainage so water never sits in the pit, and keep a clean mulch collar off the stems. Early morning is best with a slow trickle. For the first 12–24 months keep steady moisture in the growing months and only top up in extended winter dry spells; once established, water mainly in prolonged drought.
Early establishment phase

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months water deeply whenever the top few cm are dry; increase in heat or wind, mulch, and avoid standing water, and in the dormant months water only in prolonged dry spells when ground isn’t frozen; maintain mulch and ensure free drainage.
How to notice under-watering

In order to notice under watering, look out for drooping or curling leaves, dry leaf-edges scorching, and slowed shoot growth with dry, dusty soil.
How to notice over-watering

In order to notice over watering, look out for pale yellowing of older leaves, limp new shoots, persistent wilt in wet soil, and a sour smell at the root zone.
3+ Years after planting

Once established (after 2–3 years), water only in prolonged summer dry spells with an occasional deep soak; maintain mulch and avoid standing water.

feeding Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

AT PLANTING

Incorporate a balanced slow-release fertiliser or root-stimulating granules into the planting area (following manufacturer instructions) so your hedge gets a strong start.

YEARLY FEEDS

Apply a general-purpose, slow-release fertiliser in early spring (March/April) so the hedge has nutrients as growth starts. In later spring you can consider a light feed if growth appears weak or colour is faded.

FOLLOW CAUTION

Avoid excessive high-nitrogen feeds in summer, you don’t want rampant, weak growth that flops. For hedges, steady, controlled growth is far better than fast, floppy shoots.

TRIMMING Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

How and when to trim

Trim in late summer, once the main growth has finished for the year. Use sharp secateurs or shears to lightly reduce the current season’s growth and maintain shape. Avoid hard pruning in spring when sap flow is strong, as this can cause excessive bleeding.
QUICK TIPS

Technique for the perfect Field Maple hedge:
• Shape slightly wider at the base than the top to allow light to all levels and prevent thinning low down.
• Trim tips evenly to encourage lateral branching and maintain a crisp, uniform face.
• Small, regular trims give the best form and reduce stress on the plant.
• Keep tools sharp to ensure clean cuts and quick healing.
• Maintain access space along both sides so the full height remains manageable over time.
HARD CUT BACK AND REDUCTION

Significant height or width reduction is possible, but for Field Maple this should be done gradually over multiple seasons. It can regenerate from older wood but responds best when reshaping is not rushed.
A closer look at Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple, native to Europe and the only maple species indigenous to the UK, has been a staple of British landscapes since medieval times. Traditionally used in field boundaries and rural hedgerows, it’s prized for its toughness, tolerance to pruning, and graceful, rounded foliage that turns a warm golden yellow in autumn. Its ability to thrive in varied soils and climates has made it a dependable choice for naturalistic hedging and countryside-style planting, blending durability with seasonal charm.
Plants that pair well with Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple’s soft, rounded leaves and warm golden autumn tones make it a wonderful backdrop for cottage-style or naturalistic planting. Underplant with Spring bulbs like Bluebells and Primroses to echo its woodland origins, or pair with Ferns and Hostas for texture beneath its light canopy. Its seasonal leaf colour looks particularly striking beside silver or pale-green foliage, such as Stachys byzantina or Lavandula angustifolia. As the leaves turn in autumn, complement the display with late-flowering perennials like Sedum or Aster, creating a warm, layered composition that supports pollinators while celebrating the changing seasons.
Latin name and origins of Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Botanically, Acer campestre translates to “maple of the fields,” reflecting its native, pastoral presence across the British countryside. The genus Acer—encompassing over 130 species worldwide—includes many familiar ornamental trees such as Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) and Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple), all celebrated for their distinctive lobed leaves and vivid seasonal colour. The species name campestre (“of the fields”) highlights its adaptability and rural origins. Compared with its larger cousins, Acer campestre forms a denser, more compact structure, making it particularly suited for hedging and boundary planting where hardiness and tolerance to pruning are essential.

Wildlife Friends of Field Maple | Acer Campestre | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Field Maple plays a vital role in supporting British biodiversity, providing nectar-rich flowers in spring for bees and hoverflies, and winged seeds in autumn for small mammals and birds. Its dense, leafy structure offers nesting shelter and shade, while its bark supports a rich community of mosses and lichens. Acting as a living bridge between woodland and open landscape, Field Maple helps sustain the health of hedgerows, field margins, and the wildlife that depends on them.
Tips for encouraging wildlife in your hedge

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months water deeply whenever the top few cm are dry; increase in heat or wind, mulch, and avoid standing water, and in the dormant months water only in prolonged dry spells when ground isn’t frozen; maintain mulch and ensure free drainage.
Toxicity Notes

Field Maple hedging plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans, pets, and livestock, making them one of the safest native hedging choices. The sap and leaves are mild and free from harmful compounds commonly found in ornamental species. While a few Acer species (notably Acer pseudoplatanus) have been associated with atypical myopathy in horses, Acer campestre has no such record of toxicity and is widely used near paddocks and pastures without concern. Its seeds and leaves are harmless if ingested in small amounts by wildlife, ensuring full compatibility with birds and mammals in natural settings.
Foliage

The foliage on Field Maple hedging plants forms a soft, palmate canopy that casts dappled shade, creating cool, humid niches for ground invertebrates and amphibians such as the common frog (Rana temporaria) and common toad (Bufo bufo). The leaves host a wide suite of moth larvae, including Acronicta aceris (sycamore moth) and leaf miners (Stigmella spp.), which in turn feed blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). As the season advances, the foliage thickens to provide discreet nesting cover for wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes) and dunnocks (Prunella modularis), while the leaf litter beneath shelters hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and ground beetles (Carabidae).
Fruits

The fruits on Field Maple hedging plants develop soon after flowering, forming the characteristic twin-winged samaras that ripen through late summer into autumn. These papery, helicopter-like seeds spin to the ground when mature, providing a valuable food source for small mammals such as wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and for birds including chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) and bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula). The seeds also host overwintering insect larvae, creating a miniature ecosystem that extends beyond the visible fruit. The retained seed stalks offer late-season visual texture and contribute organic matter to the soil, enriching the microbial life that supports the wider garden habitat.
Flowers

The flowers on Field Maple hedging plants appear in late spring, typically between April and May, forming small clusters of yellow-green blooms that are modest in size but rich in nectar. These delicate flowers are a lifeline for early pollinators such as honeybees (Apis mellifera), buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), and hoverflies including Episyrphus balteatus and Syrphus ribesii. When flowering occurs during warm, calm spring weather, nectar flow is particularly high, ensuring strong pollinator activity. Once the flowers fade, they form characteristic winged seeds (samaras) that feed finches and small mammals through late summer and autumn, extending the plant’s ecological value well beyond its bloom.

Discover more...