The best hedge plants, compared.
Top pick: Green Spire, 6 plants – Highest score at 96: 4.8 from 24 reviews, six plants at about £21.25, only for a low hedge of about 0.5–1 m. Best value: Photinia Red Robin, 6 plants – Six plants at about £23.99 for a seller-stated run of about 2.5 m, when you will clip a future screen. Updated 21 October 2026.
A hedge plant is a live shrub for a low edge, a taller screen, or a thorny boundary. These four amazon.co.uk listings are two japonicus offers, six plants, and one. The Royal Horticultural Society gives a maximum of 0.5–1 m. Unclipped is 4–8 m, and firethorn becomes a tall screen only if you keep clipping it. None of these plants hides a neighbour's window on the day it arrives. The trade-offs sit in the [hedge plants buying guide](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/hedges-plants/sub/hedges-plants-buying-guide). Laurel is a separate plant: see [cherry laurel](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/cherry-laurel). Judge the finished height, then the start size, then the stars. Stars do not turn a 1 m shrub into a privacy screen. Both listings say up to 15 cm a year and no flowers. Unclipped is 4–8 m, with about 30 cm of growth a year on the RHS profile, and it prefers secateurs. Young leaves are red, then green, and cold wet winters can mark them. The listing gives no temperature beside a hardy-in-UK-gardens line. The RHS describes long, very sharp thorns and berries on older wood.
A hedge plant is a live shrub for a low edge, a taller screen, or a thorny boundary. These four amazon.co.uk listings are two japonicus offers, six plants, and one.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What finished height do you need?
The Chelsea Direct 6-pack is six Euonymus japonicus Green Spire plants listed at about 22 cm, about £21.25, with 4.8 from 24 reviews on this amazon.co.uk capture. The Royal Horticultural Society maximum is 0.5–1 m, and the listing also says up to 15 cm a year, so this is a knee-to-waist edge rather than a screen for an upstairs window. The bullets call it a box-hedge replacement and disease resistant. That wording is the seller's, and it does not clear box blight from the soil or stop euonymus scale or mildew. The expected blooming period is no flowers. USDA zones 6–9 are printed on the page, which is not an RHS hardiness rating. It is the top pick in this set only when the finished hedge should stay around 1 m, because the star line is the strongest amazon signal here and six plants cover a short edge.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a low evergreen edge, about knee to waist height, and six small plants for a short run.
Less suitable: You need a screen above about 1 m, or privacy from a taller species this season.
Specifications
Common questions
How tall are these six Green Spire plants on arrival?
The listing says the plants in the 6-pack are approximately 22 cm tall. It also states a maximum height of 0.5–1 m and a spread of 0.1–0.5 m.
Does the listing say this Green Spire flowers?
The expected blooming period is given as no flowers.
What light and care does the listing give?
Sunlight is full sun and partial shade. The care line says plant in well-drained soil and water well during dry periods. Soil type is listed as any.
This is one Green Spire in a 1 litre, 13 cm square pot at about £16.15, with the plant stated at 24 cm and 36 cm including the pot. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.5 from only two reviews, so the stars are a thin sample next to the 6-pack's 24. The stated mature height is the same 0.5–1 m, and the seller again says up to 15 cm a year, which means you pay more per plant for a clearer pot size rather than a taller hedge. The only review text says the buyer used the plant to replace box hedges. The bullets contrast an upright habit with rounded box and do not repeat the 6-pack's disease-resistance line. The planting-period attribute says year-round, with no frost warning in the file, so that window is not a reason to plant into frozen ground. It suits a single gap in an existing low edge, and it is a weak way to start a whole run when six of the same cultivar are about £21.25.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have one gap in a low Green Spire or box-style edge and want a single 1 litre start.
Less suitable: You are pricing a row, or you need a hedge above about 1 m.
Specifications
Common questions
What size is this single Green Spire?
The title states a 1 litre, 13 cm square pot, a plant size of 24 cm, and a height of 36 cm including the pot. The stated mature height is 0.5–1 m.
Does this listing say it replaces a box hedge?
The bullets contrast the upright habit with the rounded habit of box. They do not repeat the 6-pack line about disease resistance. The only review text says the buyer used the plant to replace box hedges.
When does the listing say to plant it?
The planting-period attribute says year-round. The care line says plant in well-drained soil. The file does not add a frost warning.
Six Photinia Red Robin in 9 cm pots are about £23.99 on this capture, 3.9 from 16 reviews, and the seller says the pack covers about 2.5 m of hedging. That coverage line is a run length, not a finished height, and the 9 centimetre attribute matches the pot rather than a measured shoot. Reviews describe small plants and tiny shoots, which is the usual mail-order pattern for this pot size, not proof the species fails. The RHS puts unclipped Red Robin at 4–8 m and up to about 30 cm a year, so these six plants can become a screen only if you keep clipping them, and they will not hide a view this season. The listing's sunlight line is partial shade only, while the RHS allows full sun or partial shade, and no temperature is given beside the hardy-in-UK-gardens claim. It is the best value in this set when you want a longer future screen and will prune, not when you need height before next summer or a hedge that stays near 1 m.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a future privacy screen and will prune a plant that can reach several metres.
Less suitable: You need privacy this season, or a hedge that must stay around 1 m without a clipping plan.
Specifications
Common questions
How much hedge do these six plants cover?
The seller says the pack covers approximately 2.5 metres of hedging. That is a coverage claim. The listing does not give a mature height.
Is the 9 centimetre figure the height of the shoot?
The expected plant height attribute is 9 centimetres, the same number as the pot. Arrival height is not stated. Reviews describe small plants and tiny shoots.
What light does the listing give?
The sunlight attribute is partial shade only. The bullets say the plants suit UK gardens and a wide range of soils, and that pruning keeps a dense hedge.
Carbeth's Pyracantha Red Column is one plant at about £10.99, with 3.6 from 15 reviews and a height attribute of 20 cm. The bullets promise red berries, fragrant white flowers, glossy foliage, and security hedging or wall training, and they do not mention thorns, though the RHS describes long, very sharp thorns on firethorn. Reviews in the file describe a small arrival: one says about 10 cm, pot-bound, with mainly yellow leaves, another a twig with no leaves, and another no berries. Berries form on older wood, so a youngster in the parcel is not proof the cultivar has failed. Mature height is not stated, and the sunlight attribute is partial shade only, which is a poor match if you wanted a heavy berry crop, because the RHS says berries are reduced in shade. At this price it is the cheapest plant in the set and the weakest star line, a thorny boundary shrub once it grows, not a barrier on the side path this season.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one young firethorn for a boundary or a wall and can wait for thorns and berries.
Less suitable: You need a barrier this season, a low formal edge, or berries on a shady north wall.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing mention thorns?
No. The bullets describe red berries, white flowers, glossy evergreen foliage, and security hedging or wall training. They do not mention thorns.
How tall is the plant on the listing?
The expected plant height attribute is 20 centimetres. Mature height and pot size are not stated. One review says the plant was about 10 cm, pot-bound, with mainly yellow leaves.
Do buyers say it arrived with berries?
One review said there were no berries and the plant was quite small. Another described a twig with no leaves. The bullets describe the berry display as a feature of the plant, not as what is in the parcel.
Scores use the four amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. They are editorial, from 0 to 100, and they are not a lab test. The published total is the star rating times 20. Review count, start size and price sit in the score note and in the award. They are not added on top of the stars. A thin sample is named in the note. The single Green Spire is 4.5 from 2 reviews, so 90 still sits above the photinia pack even though six plants at about £23.99 are the more useful buy for a future screen. The top pick is the highest total, once. Best value is a different listing.
Amazon stars
100%The published score is the amazon.co.uk star rating times 20. Green Spire, 6 plants, is 4.8 from 24, so 96. The single Green Spire is 4.5 from 2, so 90. Photinia Red Robin is 3.9 from 16, so 78. Pyracantha Red Column is 3.6 from 15, so 72. Review count, arrival size and price are not added again. The 6-pack is the top pick only for a low hedge of about 0.5–1 m. The photinia 6-pack is best value only when you will clip a future screen. The £10.99 firethorn is cheaper and does not take that award.
Match the plant to the finished height before you compare the star line. A low edge, a future screen and a thorny boundary are three different purchases, and none of these listings is a screen on day one.
A hedge plant here is a live shrub for a low edge, a winter screen, or a thorny boundary. This set is Euonymus japonicus Green Spire, Photinia Red Robin, and Pyracantha Red Column. They are not one job. Judge the finished height, then the start size, then the stars. Stars do not turn a 1 m shrub into a privacy screen. The Royal Horticultural Society gives Green Spire a maximum of 0.5–1 m. Both listings say up to 15 cm a year and no flowers. That is a knee-to-waist edge.
The RHS maximum is 0.5–1 m, and both listings say up to 15 cm a year. Six plants at about £21.25 cover a short low edge. They do not hide a first-floor window.
The photinia seller says about 2.5 m of run for six plants. That is a length. The 9 centimetre attribute matches the pot. Reviews describe small plants and tiny shoots, and the listing gives no mature height.
Berries follow flowers on older wood. A 20 cm plant, or the 10 cm arrival in one review, is not a security hedge this season. The bullets also omit the long thorns the RHS describes.
Finished height is the first check. The RHS gives Green Spire a maximum of 0.5–1 m, and both Chelsea Direct listings say up to 15 cm a year and no flowers. That plant is a box-style edge, not a screen. Disease resistant on the 6-pack is seller wording. Green Spire is not box, so box blight and the box tree caterpillar are not its diseases. It can still get euonymus scale or mildew, and the RHS says it is harmful if eaten.
The Green Spire 6-pack is about 22 cm. The single plant is a 1 litre pot, 24 cm of plant and 36 cm with the pot, at about £16.15 against about £21.25 for six. Six Red Robin plants are in 9 cm pots, and the seller says about 2.5 m of run. The 9 centimetre attribute matches the pot. The pyracantha height attribute is 20 cm, and one review says about 10 cm. Small photinia and pyracantha plants are a mail-order pattern, not proof the species fails.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a short evergreen edge around knee to waist height, and you will clear old box litter rather than treat a seller line as a cure. The Green Spire 6-pack is the top pick: six plants at about £21.25, about 22 cm on arrival, with 4.8 from 24 reviews. The RHS maximum is 0.5–1 m.
You need something that can grow above head height, and you will prune. Six Photinia Red Robin plants at about £23.99 are the best value: the seller says about 2.5 m of run, and the RHS puts unclipped Red Robin at 4–8 m. The 9 cm pots will not hide a view this season.
You want one young firethorn for a boundary or a wall, thick gloves later, and no barrier in year one. Pyracantha Red Column is about £10.99, with 3.6 from 15 reviews and a 20 cm height attribute. The bullets omit the long thorns the RHS describes.
The top pick is the Green Spire 6-pack, six Euonymus japonicus Green Spire plants at about £21.25. It scores 96, the highest here, because the published score is the star line times 20 and this listing is 4.8 from 24 reviews. The RHS maximum is 0.5–1 m, so it is a low edge, not a screen, and the disease-resistant line does not clear box blight from the soil. Best value is the photinia 6-pack at about £23.99, six plants in 9 cm pots for a seller-stated run of about 2.5 m, only if you will clip a plant that can become a screen. The firethorn at about £10.99 is cheaper and does not take the value award: 3.6 from 15 and a 20 cm attribute do not buy a barrier this season. Skip Green Spire if you need to hide an upstairs window.
Green Spire, 6 plants
Highest score at 96: 4.8 from 24 reviews, six plants at about £21.25, only for a low hedge of about 0.5–1 m.
Photinia Red Robin, 6 plants
Six plants at about £23.99 for a seller-stated run of about 2.5 m, when you will clip a future screen.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the four listings in this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not run a lab test.
