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Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length
Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Instant Hedging

Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

£260.00
Select Instant Hedging Height

AT A GLANCE

Commonly chosen for its timeless look, Green Beech forms a robust, long-lasting privacy screen. Its dense mid-green foliage turns warm copper in autumn and often stays on through winter, giving smart, year-round structure that suits both traditional and modern properties.

  • 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.

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WHEN YOU BUY 5+ METERS

SAVE 10%

WHEN YOU BUY 10+ METERS

SAVE 15%

WHEN YOU BUY 25+ METERS

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WHEN YOU BUY 50+ METERS

SAVE 25%

WHEN YOU BUY 100+ METERS

Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech is a superb choice if you want a hedge that looks smart in every season and stands the test of time. Its lush green leaves create a dense, resilient screen in spring and summer, turning rich copper in autumn and often clinging through winter for continued structure and privacy. From compact urban gardens to large estates, Green Beech delivers a classic, refined feel — and it’s great for wildlife, offering cover and nesting pockets. If you’re after a long-life hedge with both style and substance, Green Beech is an excellent pick.
GROWTH & MAINTENANCE OF Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech can reach 20 m+ as a free-growing tree, but for hedging we recommend a final working height of 2–4 m. At this height it’s easier to trim the sides and top, maintain density, and manage access.
You have flexibility depending on your design goals:
• Maintain at the supplied height with regular trims for a neat, uniform screen.
• Let it grow taller and broader where space allows — just plan for increased access and trimming effort over time.
To keep foliage lush from top to bottom, shape the hedge so it is slightly wider at the base than the top. This lets light reach the lower branches, preventing bare patches and keeping a full, rich finish.
Planting Position & Access

Green Beech hedging thrives in full sun to partial shade and can be planted near walls, fences or boundaries. Best practice is to leave 0.5–1 m of working space where possible so you can trim both faces and safely reach the top. Good access makes long-term maintenance simpler and keeps the hedge tidy and healthy.
Spacing & Interaction with other plants

Consider how nearby plants will interact with the hedge:
• Positive: Companion shrubs or groundcovers benefit from the shelter a beech hedge provides, helping reduce weed pressure and stabilise soil. Mulching the root zone supports moisture retention and soil health.
• Negative: Large or aggressively rooting trees/shrubs planted too close can compete for moisture and nutrients. Beech has a relatively shallow, fibrous root system, so avoid heavy root competition and soil compaction.
Give Green Beech enough room above and below ground and it will fill out beautifully into a long-lasting, premium hedge.

Watering Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Watering is the single most important job when establishing green beech hedging, which has fibrous roots that appreciate consistent, even moisture. In production they’re watered little and often; in the ground they prefer slow, deep soaks that wet the entire root zone. Use the top few centimetres as your guide—water when dry, hold when damp. Beech dislikes waterlogging on heavy clay, so ensure free drainage, while sandy soils may need slightly more frequent sessions. Keep a clean mulch collar to steady moisture and suppress weeds, but off the stems. Early morning, low-and-slow is best, avoiding late foliage wetting. Through the first 12–24 months maintain steady moisture in the growing season and only top up during winter dry spells; once established, water mainly in prolonged drought.
Early establishment phase

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep soil evenly moist on free-draining ground—water before the top few cm fully dry, mulch, and avoid waterlogging, and in the dormant months give occasional water only in extended dry spells when the ground isn’t frozen; keep mulch in place and the pit freely draining.
How to notice under-watering

In order to notice under watering, look out for crisp brown margins on otherwise green leaves, premature browning in late summer, and stalled extension growth.
How to notice over-watering

In order to notice over watering, look out for uniform leaf yellowing without crisp edges, persistent wilt despite wet soil, and blackening at the stem base.
3+ Years after planting

Once established (after 2–3 years), top up with deep watering only in long dry periods (especially on light soils); keep mulch and avoid waterlogging.

feeding Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 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 Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

How and when to trim

Prune in late summer (August to early September) once the leaves have hardened off to maintain density and prevent gaps. Use secateurs or shears to shorten the season’s fresh growth by about one-third, working evenly across the face. Avoid pruning during frost or strong sun.
QUICK TIPS

Technique for the perfect Green Beech hedge
• Shape the hedge slightly wider at the base than the top so light reaches lower branches and prevents bare patches.
• Trim growing tips evenly to promote dense lateral branching and a crisp, uniform face.
• Prefer small, regular trims over infrequent heavy cuts for healthier plants and neater results.
• Keep blades sharp for clean cuts and quick healing.
• Maintain access space on both sides so you can reach the top safely and keep the full height neat.
HARD CUT BACK AND REDUCTION

Significant height or width reduction is possible but should be done in stages on a well-established hedge. Beech will respond to strong pruning, yet gradual reshaping over 1–3 seasons delivers the most reliable regrowth and finish.
A closer look at Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech, or Common Beech, is one of Britain’s most iconic native trees, long admired in grand estates and avenues since the 17th century. Its soft, lime-green spring foliage maturing into deep, glossy leaves gives it exceptional seasonal presence. When clipped, it forms a dense, polished hedge that holds its coppery autumn leaves well into winter, ensuring structure and privacy year-round. Its versatility, elegance, and enduring colour make it a timeless favourite in both rural and urban gardens.
Plants that pair well with Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech offers a refined, luminous backdrop that works superbly with both traditional and modern planting. Its fresh green leaves in spring and rich copper tones in autumn pair well with Hydrangeas, Alliums, or Roses that stand out against its colour-changing foliage. Underplant with Hostas, Brunnera, or Ferns for woodland texture, or with Tulips and Narcissus for spring colour along a Beech-lined walk. Its balanced, upright structure also highlights formal elements like Yew or Box topiary, while supporting a wide range of pollinators and nesting birds with seasonal interest.
Latin name and origins of Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Botanically, Fagus sylvatica means “beech of the woods,” from the Latin fagus for “beech” and sylvatica meaning “of the forest.” The Fagus genus, containing around 10 species across Europe, Asia, and North America, is known for smooth grey bark, graceful symmetry, and lustrous foliage that evolves beautifully with the seasons. This woodland heritage gives Fagus sylvatica a natural affinity for temperate, well-drained soils and dappled light. The species’ ability to retain dry, russet leaves in winter—thanks to a phenomenon called marcescence—makes it an enduring favourite for structural hedging, offering the charm of a deciduous tree with the coverage of an evergreen.

Wildlife Friends of Green Beech | Fagus Sylvatica | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Green Beech supports a rich web of woodland life, hosting hundreds of insect species and providing food for birds, bats, and small mammals. Its flowers and seeds feed pollinators and woodland fauna alike, while its dense canopy offers ideal nesting protection. Even in winter, the dry leaves provide warmth and cover, helping maintain a living, breathing microhabitat. In gardens and countryside alike, Green Beech stands as both a refined hedge and a haven for life.
Tips for encouraging wildlife in your hedge

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep soil evenly moist on free-draining ground—water before the top few cm fully dry, mulch, and avoid waterlogging, and in the dormant months give occasional water only in extended dry spells when the ground isn’t frozen; keep mulch in place and the pit freely draining.
Toxicity Notes

Green Beech hedging plants are mildly toxic if consumed in large quantities, primarily due to the presence of faginine and low levels of hydrocyanic acid in young leaves and nuts. The triangular seeds (beech mast) are edible to many wild animals, but excessive consumption may cause stomach upset in dogs or horses. Humans can safely handle foliage, and the hedge poses no contact hazard. In practice, the risk is negligible outdoors, as wildlife species such as Sciurus carolinensis (grey squirrel) and Turdus merula (blackbird) consume the nuts safely thanks to natural metabolic tolerance.
Foliage

The foliage on Green Beech hedging plants is glossy and flexible when young, maturing into firm, overlapping leaves that create a refined, wind-buffering wall. Like Hornbeam, Beech retains many dry leaves into winter, preserving privacy and offering shelter for roosting Erithacus rubecula and Turdus merula (blackbird). Throughout spring and summer, beech leaves feed larvae of Operophtera brumata (winter moth) and Stauropus fagi (lobster moth), which are prime prey for Cyanistes caeruleus and Parus major. The cool, stable microclimate at the hedge base encourages fungi and detritivores, sustaining thrush foraging and providing refuge for Erinaceus europaeus.
Fruits

The fruits on Green Beech hedging plants are known as beech mast — small, triangular nuts encased in prickly brown husks that ripen and split open in autumn. These nutritious seeds are a major food source for woodland species such as Sciurus carolinensis (grey squirrel), Apodemus flavicollis (yellow-necked mouse), and Garrulus glandarius (jay), which often bury them, inadvertently aiding in forest regeneration. Beech mast also sustains numerous birds through the lean winter months, including Fringilla montifringilla (brambling) and Coccothraustes coccothraustes (hawfinch). Heavy fruiting, known as “mast years,” tends to follow warm, dry summers and fosters population booms in many dependent species, underscoring Beech’s deep ecological influence.
Flowers

The flowers on Green Beech hedging plants appear in April and May, just as the fresh leaves unfurl. Male flowers form in soft, tassel-like catkins that dangle beneath the branches, while female flowers stand upright in pairs, later developing into spiny, bristled seed cases. Beech is wind-pollinated and unscented, but its flowers signal the beginning of a cycle that sustains countless woodland species. The resulting nuts—known as beech mast—feed birds, squirrels, and mice, while the foliage supports numerous caterpillars, including the winter moth (Operophtera brumata). Flowering is most prolific after a warm spring and in free-draining soil where roots can breathe.

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