Hazel Hedge Plants

• Sold as: Bareroot 40/60cm to 90/120cm
• Plants per metre: Single row 3/m; staggered double row 6/m for a thicker, faster-establishing screen
• Ultimate hedge height: Whatever height you keep it clipped to — naturally bushy from the base (a tree to around 12m if left unclipped)
• Growth rate: Around 45cm a year
• Evergreen or deciduous: Deciduous — catkins dress the bare stems from late winter, well before the leaves appear
• UK native: Yes
• Thorny: No — thornless and safe near livestock
• Best soil and site: Any soil including damp ground, shade-tolerant; avoid very acid soil, permanently waterlogged ground, and exposed coastal sites
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: No — only named cultivars hold it, not the species
• Wildlife value: The hazel dormouse's signature plant — nuts fatten it for hibernation, and spring leaves host the caterpillars it feeds on
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April — guaranteed to grow for 12 months, correctly cared for. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Hazel hedging (Corylus avellana) is the country hedge rather than the formal one — a thornless, shade-tolerant native that grows around 45cm a year, copes with almost any soil including genuinely damp ground, and is the single most-used ingredient across our mixed native hedging packs.

Hazel Hedging: The Country Native That Copes with Almost Anything

Hazel is naturally bushy from the base rather than growing into a single trunk, which is exactly what a good informal hedge wants — it fills out low down without the gappy bottom that troubles hedges left unclipped. It tolerates shade better than most native hedging, handles damp ground that would rot out drier-loving species, and shrugs off any soil short of the truly acid or truly waterlogged. The one place it struggles is directly on the coast, where salt and wind take their toll.

Coppice it — cut it back hard to the base in winter — and it regrows strongly rather than sulking, which is why hazel has been managed this way in Britain for centuries and can genuinely outlive an uncoppiced tree several times over.

The Dormouse's Tree

Britain's hazel dormouse is named for this plant and depends on it directly: hazelnuts fatten the dormouse for hibernation, while the spring leaves host the caterpillars it hunts through the rest of the year (PTES). A hazel hedge left to flower and fruit properly is one of the more direct ways a garden can support a genuinely declining native mammal.

The plant runs deep into folklore too — in Celtic tradition hazel was the tree of wisdom and divination, the wood of the dowsing rod and the "nut of knowledge" (Woodland Trust). Coppiced hazel built rural Britain in more practical ways: thatching spars, hurdles, wattle for wattle-and-daub walls, and net stakes all came from managed hazel stands (Woodland Trust). A hazel tree left alone lives around 80 years; coppiced, it can live for several hundred — cutting it down, repeatedly, is what keeps it alive.

Planting Companions

Hazel is hedging's great mixer — it's a constituent of every one of our mixed native hedging packs, more than any other species we sell. It pairs constantly with hawthorn, its most frequent partner in the wild and in our own mixes, and with blackthorn in the classic country matrix. If you'd rather buy a ready-made scheme, our mixed conservation hedging pack builds hazel in alongside its usual companions. For extra spring interest at the hedge foot, our naturalising daffodils flower before hazel leafs up. Browse the full hazel hedging range.

Why Buy Your Hedging from Us?

Ashridge hedging is grown under contract by specialist UK growers, to our own specification — never surplus stock diverted from elsewhere. We're one of the UK's largest sellers of bareroot hedging, so stock is lifted to order and moves fast. Bareroot hazel is guaranteed to grow for 12 months, correctly planted and cared for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I coppice a hazel hedge?

Yes — cut it back hard to the base in winter and it regrows strongly. This is traditional management for hazel, and a coppiced hazel can live for several hundred years rather than the roughly 80 years it manages left uncut.

Will hazel grow in shade or on damp ground?

Yes to both — hazel is more shade-tolerant than most native hedging and copes well with genuinely damp soil. It's less happy on very acid ground, permanently waterlogged sites, or directly on the coast.

Is hazel safe to plant near horses or livestock?

Yes — hazel is thornless and not toxic, making it a safe choice near grazing animals, unlike thornier or more toxic hedging species.

Which mixed hedging packs include hazel?

All of them — hazel is the most widely used constituent across our entire mixed native hedging range.

How many hazel plants do I need per metre?

3 per metre in a single row, or 6 per metre in a staggered double row for a thicker, faster-establishing hedge.

Does hazel support any particular wildlife?

Yes, notably the hazel dormouse — the nuts fatten it for hibernation and the spring leaves feed the caterpillars it hunts. Catkin pollen is also among the earliest food sources for bees each year.