Artificial hedges & screening

Buying an artificial hedge

Artificial hedges: an introduction

Artificial hedges have so many possibilities in the garden - use hedging to cover up an unsightly wall or panel, put it underneath your greenery where the light is preventing it from growing as well as it should, or create stylish features - without limits.

Artificial hedges are so much easier to look after than real hedges - once you've put them up, there's no clipping or maintenance to do. Contrast this with a typical boxwood hedge where you'll spend every other weekend clipping and trimming to keep it in check!

Good quality artificial hedges are UV fade resistant so they won't fade in the sunlight and will stay looking attractive for a long period of time. They are extremely versatile - the mats can be cut to size and easily clipped together for coverage all around the garden - even on curved surfaces.

Artificial hedge buying guide

You might have heard of artificial grass, flowers, hanging baskets, topiary or plants - but artificial hedges are a relatively new idea and there are few companies currently making them. Like the other fake products though, artificial hedges are growing in popularity. This is because they have so many benefits! While a regular hedge needs trimming, shaping, feeding and watering, an artificial hedge looks fabulous all of the time - with absolutely zero effort.

Uses for an artificial hedge

Above: before artificial hedging is installed

Above: After artificial hedging is installed

There are so many different uses for artificial hedging. My personal favourite is to cover ugly areas of the garden. This might be an unsightly wall, a rotten fence or sparse patches on your existing foliage. Artificial hedges can also help you to create features in the garden. You might create a hedge along the edges of a decking area - and you'll enjoy year round perfect greenery with no effort at all.

Types of artificial hedging

The most popular type of hedge panel is box hedging or boxwood. It has a dark green leafy look and appears very realistic. You can also get ivy leaf and fir hedging. Look carefully at the pictures - make sure you see at least one close up before you order. In my opinion, the fir hedging can sometimes look a little like an artificial Christmas tree. It's cheaper than boxwood and suitable for large spaces where people won't be looking up close. It can also help fill in sparse areas - so you could for example put it behind some existing trees that aren't doing too well. The boxwood is the best solution in most cases - especially if people will be getting within a metre.

You can also find panels with mixed plants which create a nice area of greenery, combining grass, fern, moss and ivy.

What is artificial hedging made from?

Most artificial hedges are made from polyethylene. You should always ensure they are UV fade resistant - otherwise your hedge will literally fade with the sunlight.

Measuring up

Check the size of the hedging you want to purchase - most comes as a 50 x 50 square panel so four tiles will cover one square metre. Typically they come in packs of 10 or 12 so you'll be covering between 2.5 and 3 square metres per pack.

Installing the hedging

Most artificial hedging comes as square panels that look a bit like flooring. You clip them together to make larger areas. You can also buy much larger sections of hedging - these are often a bit cheaper and may come as a roll.

How you install the hedging depends on what you're creating. If for example you're edging some decking, you'll need to build a frame to attach the hedging too. Remember that it will look unrealistic to have hedging growing straight up from the ground - it looks better if you create planters, raised beds or something that would 'house' and conceal the trunks and roots, if the hedging were actually real.

We hope the above provides a useful guide when purchasing an artificial hedge.