The low-maintenance hedge idea I picked up in Bratislava – it's drought-tolerant, great for wildlife and beautiful in the autumn
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On a day trip from Vienna to Bratislava last week, I found myself drawn to one low-maintenance hedge in particular – and despite the hot weather, it was thriving.
The formal Baroque gardens by Bratislava Castle were a sight to behold, but it was the hedging that caught my eye in particular. Up close, I recognised it as a kind of Acer – field maple, or Acer campestre, to be exact. We’ve celebrated it before as one of the best trees for small gardens, but its value as a hedge just isn't spoken about enough.
It’s convinced me that field maple is one of the best low-maintenance hedges you can grow – and not just in summer, either. Here’s why.
Field maples can be grown as trees or hedges (you can buy bare-root and pot-grown field maple from Thompson & Morgan), and the ones I saw in Bratislava Castle’s gardens were beautifully clipped into formal hedging. What really struck me was how healthy they looked despite the scorching heat – and according to experts, that’s partly because they’re drought-tolerant once established.
'Field maple is one of the most forgiving hedges you can plant,' says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres. 'It’s a British native that puts up with almost any soil, from heavy clay to chalk and poorer, sandy sites, and once it’s settled in, it’s drought-tolerant, often coping better in dry spells.'
It’ll just need a little extra TLC while it settles into your garden.
‘Young or newly planted field maple will need consistent moisture to build roots, but mature plants are capable of withstanding dry weather and are fairly drought-tolerant,’ says Richard Barker, horticultural expert at LBS Horticulture.
After that, field maple really is one of the lowest-maintenance hedges you can grow – even more so than other fast-growing hedges.
‘Field maple makes a great low-maintenance hedge because it grows slower than other hedges like privet, making it less likely to grow out of hand,’ explains Richard. ‘It only requires light pruning to keep its shape, and it can easily bounce back if it is cut back hard.’
And that’s not all – field maple is also a brilliant wildlife garden idea, since it provides a living shelter and food source for insects and animals. Plus, field maples are among the best trees for autumn colour, since they turn a fiery orange before dropping their leaves.
'It makes a dense, wildlife-friendly screen, with spring flowers for pollinators, “helicopter” seeds in late summer and a clear golden flush in autumn,' says Julian.
Field maple planting kit
A solid digging spade for planting your field maple. This one is made from stainless steel.
You can use a watering can during a hosepipe ban, as long as you don't fill it up with a hose!
This peat-free mulch is an Amazon bestseller. It enriches the soil, suppresses weeds and conserves soil moisture.
Are you sold? The best time to plant field maple is during its dormant season (November to March) if you’ve bought a bare-root plant, but container-grown hedges can be planted all year round. You’ll just need to avoid any extreme weather, like heatwaves, drought and hard frosts.
