The quickest way to grow a hedge quickly is to pick a fast, healthy plant and give it the right spacing, deep water, and steady pruning. Speed comes from one strong plant doing its job, not from packing extras into the trench. People who want to speed up hedge growth often cram young plants together to fake a wall. That backfires within a couple of seasons.
Start with a plant that grows fast on its own. Green Giant arborvitae is a top pick because it climbs 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) in a good year and shrugs off the diseases that wreck other conifers. A healthy plant that resists trouble will always beat a fragile one you try to push. Match the plant to your sun and soil first, then worry about the rest.
Correct spacing is what gets you to a full screen sooner. It sounds backward, so here is why. Crowded plants block each other's air, and damp, still air breeds disease that spreads root to root down the whole line. One sick plant drags the rest down with it. Give each plant room to breathe and the leaves stay dry, the roots spread, and every plant fills its own space fast.
Spacing too wide leaves gaps for years, though. The fix is to plant in two staggered rows in a zigzag pattern. You get denser cover front to back without choking any single plant. Set the rows a couple of feet apart and offset the plants so each one screens the gap behind it. This gives you a thicker wall sooner while keeping the airflow that healthy growth needs.
Start with a proven fast grower such as Green Giant arborvitae that adds 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) a year without disease problems.
Plant in two staggered rows for faster cover while keeping enough room for good air circulation and healthy growth.
Soak the roots deeply and mulch the base to control weeds and hold moisture through the first two years.
Trim lightly and regularly so the hedge thickens and fills in rather than only growing taller and thin.
Water does the heavy lifting in the first two years. Soak the roots deep once or twice a week instead of a quick daily splash. Deep soaks pull the roots down where they reach moisture in dry spells. A wide ring of mulch around the base holds that water in and keeps weeds from stealing it. Two to three inches is plenty, and keep it off the trunk so the bark stays dry.
Feed the young plants too. A balanced fertilizer in early spring during the first two years gives them the fuel to put on real height. Strong fast hedge establishment in those early seasons sets the pace for everything that follows. Skip the feeding and the plants still grow, just slower than they could. Healthy roots and a steady food supply are what let a hedge race upward.
Pruning is the part most people get wrong. They let the hedge shoot straight up and end up with a tall, thin, see-through screen. Instead, make small, frequent cuts. Each cut tells the plant to push out side shoots, and those side shoots are what make a hedge dense. A few small trims a year beat one hard chop. You want bushy, not just tall, if privacy is the goal.
Put it together and you have a clear plan. Choose Green Giant arborvitae or another proven fast grower. Set two staggered rows with breathing room. Water deep, mulch the base, and feed each spring. Trim little and often. Do that and you build a thick, healthy screen in a few years. The alternative is a crowded, weak row you fight for a decade.
Read the full article: Best Fast Growing Hedge Plants Guide
