Field Maple Hedge Plants

• Sold as: Bareroot in four grades, 40/60cm to 150/175cm
• Plants per metre: Single row 3/m (33cm apart); double staggered row 6/m for a thicker or grant-compliant hedge
• Ultimate hedge height: Clips to any height you keep it at. Left unclipped it grows into a tree to around 20m
• Growth rate: Medium. Dense, twiggy growth that thickens up quickly once established
• Evergreen or deciduous: Deciduous. Small five-lobed leaves turn buttery yellow, sometimes red, in autumn
• UK native: Yes: Britain's only native maple
• Thorny: No, and a genuinely useful trait beside gates, paths and anywhere children play
• Best soil and site: Any soil including chalk and clay, moist but well-drained; full sun or partial shade; copes well with exposed sites
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: No, but field maple holds a place on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list
• Wildlife value: Supports around 15 species of moth and butterfly caterpillar; winged seeds feed tits, finches and rodents
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April, while dormant. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Field maple hedging (Acer campestre) is Britain's only native maple, and one of a handful of thornless plants that go into our mixed country hedges. It clips into a dense, twiggy, near impenetrable hedge at whatever height you keep it, copes with chalk and exposed sites that trouble other plants, and is a safe choice beside gates, paths and anywhere children play.

Field Maple: Britain's Only Native Maple

Field maple is the only maple that grows wild in Britain, found in ancient woodland and hedgerows across England and Wales, especially on chalky ground. The small, five-lobed leaves are bright green through summer and turn a buttery yellow in autumn, sometimes flushing red, and the bark develops a corky, ridged texture with age that adds interest through winter. Left to grow as a tree it can reach around 20m, on the Woodland Trust's figures, with a lifespan of up to 350 years, but as a hedge it's kept at whatever height suits the site, coppicing back every 5 to 10 years if it starts to outgrow its space. It's good for wildlife too: around 15 species of moth and butterfly caterpillar feed on the leaves, and the winged, helicopter-style seeds feed tits, finches and most garden rodents.

Its dense, twiggy growth is what makes it such a good hedge plant: it clips to a tight, thick face and, being thornless, it's comfortable to work beside without a scratch. It takes chalk, clay, loam and sand, including thin chalky soils where many other hedging plants struggle, and it's drought tolerant once established, so it copes well on exposed sites where other hedging sulks. Pair it with hawthorn and blackthorn for the security a thorny hedge provides; field maple is thornless, like dogwood and the guelder rose and wayfaring tree we also sell, and softens a thorny mix without weakening it.

When to Cut Field Maple

Cut a field maple hedge in spring or autumn, or in summer if it needs it. Some general tree pruning advice suggests avoiding cuts outside late autumn and midwinter, to reduce sap bleeding, but that guidance is written for large standard trees, not hedges. Field maple is one of many hedgerow plants that bleed a little when cut, and Britain's hedgerows, which contain a great deal of field maple, are trimmed on exactly this basis every year without harm.

Planting Companions

Field maple is thornless, one of several plants that soften a thorny mix without weakening it: dogwood, guelder rose and wayfaring tree do the same job elsewhere in our range. It's a constituent of our thornless hedging pack and our livestock-friendly hedging pack, since it carries no risk to grazing animals. Browse the full native hedging range to plan a mixed scheme, or the wider hedging range.

Want a bigger, ready-grown specimen instead of a hedge? Buy larger field maple trees for instant impact, or browse our wider range of maple trees.

Why Buy Hedging from Ashridge

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 field maple, planted and cared for correctly, is guaranteed to grow for 12 months. Established 1949.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is field maple really native to Britain?

Yes: it's Britain's only native maple, found wild in hedgerows and ancient woodland across England and Wales, especially on chalky soils.

How many field maple plants do I need per metre?

For a single row, plant 3 per metre, roughly 33cm apart. For a thicker or grant-compliant hedge, use a staggered double row at 6 per metre.

When do I cut a field maple hedge?

Spring or autumn, or summer if it needs it. Field maple is an ordinary hedgerow plant and is cut on that basis; there's no need to wait for a narrow winter window.

Will field maple grow on chalk?

Yes, better than most hedging in fact. It's one of the few plants that thrives on thin, chalky soils where other species struggle, and it's equally happy on clay, loam or sand.

Is field maple safe for horses and livestock?

Yes. Field maple carries no risk to grazing animals, unlike some of its relatives, and it's a constituent of our livestock-friendly hedging pack for exactly that reason.

Field maple hedge or field maple tree, what's the difference?

Same plant, two forms. This page is young, bareroot hedging stock that you clip to whatever height you want. Our field maple trees are larger, trained as a single specimen and left to grow to their full height rather than clipped as a hedge.