Willow vs hazel hurdles for a panel on posts
Updated: October 2026
You are setting a woven panel on posts along a side path, and the species has to be settled before those posts go in. Willow vs hazel hurdles is the choice of rod thickness, weave, colour and a life range you can attach to a named maker. The [wattle fence comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/wattle-fence) holds four willow screening rolls, and none of the kept ASINs is a hazel hurdle. Products Compared read UK hurdle makers on 15 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are setting a woven panel on posts along a side path, and the species has to be settled before those posts go in.
You are setting a woven panel on posts along a side path, and the species has to be settled before those posts go in. Willow vs hazel hurdles is the choice of rod thickness, weave, colour and a life range you can attach to a named maker. The wattle fence comparison holds four willow screening rolls, and none of the kept ASINs is a hazel hurdle. Products Compared read UK hurdle makers on 15 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Form | Material | Title size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Wadan Wadan willow screening roll 1.5 m x 4 m | Screening roll | Willow wood | 1.5 m x 4 m | 6.7 | about £46.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Prime Plus Prime Plus willow screening roll | Screening roll | Willow wood | 4 m wide and 1.5 m x 4 m | 4.3 | about £44.99 | View offer |
 Abaseen Abaseen willow screening roll 1.5 m x 4 m | Screening roll | Willow wood | 1.5 m x 4 m | 8.5 | about £49.99 | View offer |
On this page
Thicker hazel, tighter willow
Hazel is the thicker rod, and willow is the slimmer one. Forestry Journal, writing on hazel coppicing in England, describes willow as typically about 1 cm across and hazel as about 2–3 cm. Those figures describe coppice rods, not a hurdle you can order this week.
Hazel Hurdle World weave both species. Willow, cut every one to two years, stays slender and the weave closes up. Hazel, cut every seven to ten years, is thicker and the weave is left more open. They call hazel the more robust panel for knocks, leaning and livestock. Tie willow firm rather than fierce. Posts and the order of work are on the how to install a wattle fence page.
Colour, and why height screens more than species
Willow stays a deep red-brown, and hazel goes silver-grey. Hazel Hurdle World suggest hazel where the boundary should sit quietly against brick or gravel, and willow where you want the colour to remain.
At the same height, looser hazel screens slightly less than closer willow. Height still hides more. A 6 ft (1.83 m) hazel panel screens far more than a shorter willow one, and under 3 ft the hurdle is decorative. How tall your boundary may be is on the wattle fence buying guide.
Life ranges you can quote, and ranges you must not merge
Hazel Hurdle World give both species five to ten years in an ordinary British garden, and they do not claim that hazel lasts longer. Fountain Timber allow up to five years in a very wet and windy spot, and up to ten if sheltered. Wovenwood’s blog, about five to eight years for willow and ten to fifteen for hazel, is a separate claim. Do not average the two. None of those ranges describes a screening roll, and BS 1722-11 does not certify either hurdle.
When willow, when hazel
Choose willow for the tighter weave and the warmer red-brown when nothing barges into the fence. Choose hazel for knocks, livestock, or a face that silvers against brick or gravel. If you need privacy, pick the height first. Under 3 ft, either species is decorative.
The four rolls in the main comparison are willow screening, and the set has no hazel ASIN. Abaseen is the top pick where the size lines agree. The Wadan 1.5 m title is the best value if you measure on arrival. Neither is a hurdle.
Height first, then the knock the line will take
If a wheelbarrow or livestock will hit the bay, buy hazel for the thicker rod and the more open weave. If you want the closer red-brown face and nothing barges into the fence, buy willow and tie it firm rather than fierce. If the job is privacy, choose the height before the species.
Common questions
Which lasts longer, willow or hazel hurdles?
Hazel Hurdle World give both species five to ten years and do not claim that hazel lasts longer. Fountain Timber say up to five years in a very wet and windy spot, and up to ten if sheltered. Wovenwood’s split, longer for hazel, is a separate claim. None of the three is a lifespan for a screening roll.
Which is stronger where people lean, or in wind?
Hazel Hurdle World call hazel the more robust panel for knocks, leaning and livestock. Willow is the slimmer, closer weave. In a very wet and windy garden, Fountain Timber put the hurdles they sell at up to five years, with no extra years for hazel. Forestry Journal’s 1 cm and 2–3 cm figures describe coppice rods, not a panel on sale this week.
Which hurdle gives more privacy?
At the same height, Hazel Hurdle World say looser hazel screens slightly less than closer willow. A 6 ft (1.83 m) hazel panel still hides far more than a shorter willow one, and under 3 ft the hurdle is decorative. Choose the height first when you need to block a view, then check the height you are allowed.
Are the amazon.co.uk rolls hazel hurdles?
No. The four kept listings are willow screening rolls, and none of the kept ASINs is a hazel hurdle. A roll that failed within a year is not a hurdle lifespan. Buy hurdles from a maker when the panel needs posts, and use a roll only on a fence you already have.
Can I treat hurdles so they last longer?
Fountain Timber say linseed oil in turpentine, or an off-the-shelf preserver, can prolong life, and that some owners leave the grey. Musgrove’s 50/50 boiled linseed and turpentine mix, with five to seven years, belongs to their bark-on ribbon panels. That care does not turn a screening roll into a hurdle.
Should I choose the height or the species first?
Choose the height first for privacy, because a taller hazel panel hides more than a shorter willow one, and under 3 ft either species is decorative. Then take willow for the tight red-brown weave if nothing hits the fence, or hazel where a barrow or livestock will hit the line. Tie slim willow rods firm rather than fierce.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices and star lines are from amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
- Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Class A (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Planning permission: fences, gates and garden walls (Wales) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Build a fence or wall (Scotland) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — your property boundaries (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — wild birds: protection, surveys and licences (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Hazel Hurdle World — willow hurdles (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Musgrove Willows — questions before buying willow fencing (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- NBS — BS 1722-11:2006+A1:2018 prefabricated wood panel fences (retrieved 15 October 2026)