How to build an artificial hedge

With plenty of benefits from extra privacy to hiding away ugly walls, we've pieced together our best advice on how to build an artificial hedge in just 5 easy steps. Scroll to watch our step-by-step video or read on for full instructions.

Staple hedge mats to wooden frame

Hedging has plenty of benefits from granting you privacy from your nosy next-door neighbours, to adding a big dose of greenery to an otherwise dull space. The compromise of natural hedging is having to maintain and trim it which let’s be fair, is a real pain! 

On the other hand, there’s the option to build your own custom sized hedging using the magic of faux to get the look without the hassle. 🌿 

Take a look at our video below to show you how or read on for our full instructions. 

How to build an artificial hedge

What you’ll need:

  • A frame for your hedge 

  • Artificial foliage mats 

  • A staple gun, drill or cable ties 

  • Scissors 

  • Wood preservative 

  • Wood stain (optional) 

Wooden hedge frame

Use a frame

Get started building your own artificial hedge with a simple wooden frame that you can pin your mats to. If you're using your hedging outside, it's best to treat your frame with some preservative to keep it in good nick.

You can add extra height to your hedging by attaching legs to the bottom of your frame or by building a taller base for your hedging to sit on as shown in the image below.

Hedge with base trough

Alternatively, if you’d rather mount your mats directly onto your wall or fence, check out our guide to building a living wall instead.

Artificial boxwood hedge mat

Choose your foliage 

Measure the length, height and depth of your hedge panel to determine how much foliage you’ll need. If you're using our hedging mats, you can pop your measurements into the calculator on the product page and we'll tell you how many mats to order.

In the video above, we use our boxwood foliage mat which is perfect for DIY artificial hedging with a classic, tightly trimmed look. We also offer a conifer-style cedar mat and a buxus foliage mat.

Faux living wall mats by Blooming Artificial

Hedging mats

Explore our range of UV stable foliage panels perfect for hedging, including boxwood, buxus and cedar style mats.

Shop hedging mats.
Staple hedge mats to wooden frame

Adding your foliage 

It’s time to add your foliage to your frame! 

We use a staple gun when making faux hedges, as it’s the quickest way, but you can also use a drill or cable ties to secure your mats to your frame. If you move the foliage aside, you’ll see a green plastic mesh which you can pin to your frame using the method of your choice. 

If you need to, you can cut your mats down to size using a strong pair of scissors. Don’t throw away the off cuts...we’ll be using those later!

Similar to the frame, if you’re planning on pushing two hedges together, it’s best to leave one side free from foliage to create that seamless look.

Adding extra foliage to hedge

Make any final adjustments 

When all of your foliage mats are on your frame, you may notice a few small gaps, especially around the edges. Thankfully they’re super easy to fill in.  

Simply take the off cuts of your foliage mats and snip small pieces off, then add them straight into the gaps, using your preferred method until all the gaps are gone. If you don’t have any off cuts, you may want to purchase an extra mat to fill these in.  

Faux boxwood hedge on deck

Once you’ve finished making any last-minute adjustments, your DIY artificial hedge should be looking complete and ready to go into your space (hooray! 🥳). If you’re able to add weight inside your trough, move your hedge into place first then add it in to keep your hedge stable.

Common queries

Yes! If you’re thinking that building a fake hedge is all a bit too much effort, we stock fully ‘grown’ artificial hedges ready and waiting to go straight into your garden, in a range of sizes and styles.

View our range of artificial hedges.

It can be tricky to pinpoint an exact lifespan for hedging as it all depends on where it’s situated, whether you live in a particularly sunny space and other factors, but if your hedging mats fade within 1 year of purchase, please let us know.

Removable hedge panel

When you're building your hedge frame, it's best to leave a panel that can be removed so that bricks, stones or sand can be added to the inside of your frame once your hedge is in place.

Sure, you're best to leave one end on each hedge bald so that the foliage is seamless when you push them together. If your hedging has a base to it, we recommend leaving a gap on one side, just like with the foliage, so that they join up nicely when pushed together.

Building an artificial hedge

Pre-built artificial hedges

Skip the hassle of building your own and explore our range of pre-made artificial hedges in a range of sizes and styles.

Shop now.

Need some advice?

If you have any questions or need some advice on building your own artificial hedging, get in touch with us and one of our team will be happy to give you a hand. 😊

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