Field Maple Hedge
Acer campestre
Field Maple, Acer campestre, is Britain's only native maple: a tough, small-leaved deciduous hedge with fresh green foliage that turns a clear butter yellow in autumn.
It typically grows around 20–40cm a year, clips into a dense, neat hedge and copes with chalk, clay, wind, exposed sites and town conditions. Choose bare root whips from November in packs of up to 250, or pot grown plants for most of the year.
Compare all our Field Maple hedging.
- ✓Native British maple
- ✓Butter-yellow autumn colour
- ✓Copes with chalk, clay and wind
- ✓Bare-root packs up to 250
Key product facts
Field Maple Hedge Root Types
Choose from our range of Field Maple Hedge sizes and root types below.
Bare root Field Maple hedging
Availability
- In Season
- Pre Order
- Out Of Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Choose your height
Pick a height to see the relevant single-plant and bulk-buy options.
40-60cm
- £1.20
£1.20 per plant
£120.00Original price was: £120.00.£113.98Current price is: £113.98.£1.14 per plant
£300.00Original price was: £300.00.£269.98Current price is: £269.98.£1.08 per plant
60-90cm
- £1.50
£1.50 per plant
£150.00Original price was: £150.00.£142.49Current price is: £142.49.£1.42 per plant
£375.00Original price was: £375.00.£337.46Current price is: £337.46.£1.35 per plant
90-120cm
- £2.10
£2.10 per plant
£210.00Original price was: £210.00.£199.48Current price is: £199.48.£1.99 per plant
£525.00Original price was: £525.00.£472.50Current price is: £472.50.£1.89 per plant
120-150cm
- £4.00
£4.00 per plant
£400.00Original price was: £400.00.£379.96Current price is: £379.96.£3.80 per plant
£1,000.00Original price was: £1,000.00.£900.00Current price is: £900.00.£3.60 per plant
Pot grown Field Maple hedging
Availability
- In Season
- Pre Order
- Out Of Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Choose your height
Pick a height to see the relevant single-plant and bulk-buy options.
40-60cm
- £6.95
£6.95 per plant
60-90cm
- £8.95
£8.95 per plant
90-120cm
- £9.95
£9.95 per plant
120-150cm
- £14.95
£14.95 per plant
Sold out
Choosing your Field Maple plants
Bare-root whips are the most economical way to plant a Field Maple hedge and establish quickly. Pot-grown plants cost more but can be planted for most of the year.
| Root type | Size | Plants per metre | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bare root | 40–60cm | 6 | November to March |
| Bare root | 60–120cm | 5 | November to March |
| Bare root | 120–150cm | 4 | November to March |
| Pot grown | 40–120cm | 4 | Most of the year |
Bare-root sizes also come in packs of 100 and 250, which lower the price per plant. These are single-row figures; in a native mix, Field Maple is one plant among several.
Why plant a Field Maple hedge?
Colour through the seasons
Field Maple has small, rounded, lobed leaves that open fresh green, sometimes tinged pink, in spring. In autumn the whole hedge turns a clear butter yellow before the leaves fall. In winter the corky brown twigs give a dense outline.
Wildlife value
As a native tree, Field Maple supports a wide range of insects. Its small spring flowers feed pollinators, the insects that live on it feed birds, and the winged seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. A clipped hedge also gives nesting cover. It is a traditional part of British hedgerows and is often planted alongside Hawthorn in a native mixed hedge.
Field Maple compared with other deciduous hedges
| Field Maple | Hornbeam | Green Beech | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Bare twigs | Holds some dry leaves | Holds copper leaves |
| Autumn colour | Butter yellow | Yellow to gold | Copper |
| Best soil | Chalk and most soils | Heavy, damp clay | Free-draining soil |
| Best for | Native and country hedges | Formal hedges on clay | Formal hedges with winter colour |
For more winter screening, compare Hornbeam hedge plants or Green Beech hedging.
Choosing the right hedge
Is Field Maple right for you?
A great choice if you want:
- ✓A native hedge for wildlife
- ✓Golden autumn colour
- ✓Chalky, clay or exposed sites
- ✓Town, roadside and country boundaries
- ✓A long hedge at low cost per metre
Consider another hedge if:
- ×You need screening through winter
- ×You want an evergreen hedge
- ×The ground stays waterlogged
Where does Field Maple grow best?
Soil
Field Maple is one of the most adaptable native hedges. It grows on chalk and limestone, clay and loam, and copes with dry spells once established. Avoid ground that stays waterlogged.
Sun, shade and exposure
It grows in full sun or partial shade, is fully hardy and copes well with wind, exposed rural sites and urban pollution, which makes it a good choice for roadside, field and town boundaries alike.
Planting, growth and trimming
Planting
Plant bare-root Field Maple between November and March when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, in a weed-free strip. Fit rabbit guards where rabbits or deer are about, and water through the first dry spring.
How fast does Field Maple grow?
Once established, Field Maple typically grows around 20–40cm a year. Left untrimmed it becomes a small tree, but it is easily kept as a hedge of 1–3m.
Trimming
Trim once or twice a year, in late summer and, if needed, in winter, avoiding the bird nesting season. Field Maple regrows well from hard cutting, so an overgrown hedge can be cut back in winter. Our Field Maple care guide covers spacing, planting and pruning in detail.
Buying help
Buying FAQs
What size Field Maple should I buy?+
For most hedges, 40–60cm or 60–90cm bare-root whips are the best value and establish quickly. Choose 90–150cm bare-root plants for more height straight away, or pot-grown plants if you are planting outside the bare-root season.
How many Field Maple plants do I need per metre?+
For a single-row hedge, plant 40–60cm bare-root whips at 6 per metre, 60–120cm bare-root plants at 5 per metre and 120–150cm plants at 4 per metre. Pot-grown Field Maple goes in at 4 per metre.
Do you sell Field Maple in bulk?+
Yes. Every bare-root size comes in packs of 100 and 250, with the price per plant falling as the pack gets bigger. For larger landscape or farm orders, contact us for a quote.
When is bare-root Field Maple delivered?+
Bare-root Field Maple is lifted while dormant and is normally delivered from November to March, depending on the weather. You can pre-order now and your plants will be dispatched when the new season's stock is ready.
Is Field Maple evergreen?+
No. Field Maple is deciduous. Its leaves turn butter yellow in autumn and then fall, leaving a dense framework of twigs through winter.
Does Field Maple grow on chalk?+
Yes. Field Maple is one of the best native hedges for chalk and limestone, and it also grows well on clay and most other soils that are not waterlogged.
Helpful guides
More help with Field Maple
Related hedge plants
Compare these alternative hedge plants to find the right choice for your garden, planting conditions and preferred hedge style.
- Price From £1.15 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a hardy deciduous hedge plant for dense traditional boundaries, particularly useful on heavier clay and in partial shade. Available as bare-root, pot-grown and instant hedging.
- Price From £1.40 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Beech is a popular deciduous hedge as it has superb dense bright green foliage with wavy edges, that turns copper in the autumn and is retained throughout the winter months.
- Price From £1.15 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Hawthorn, Quickthorn, Whitethorn or May Hedging also known as Crataegus monogyna is a popular thorny, deciduous hedging species that provides seasonal interest, with pure white flowers in the spring, followed by attractive green foliage
- Price From £1.20 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Hazel is an attractive, native, deciduous hedging plant, with large green leaves that turn yellow in the autumn, yellow catkins and edible nuts.
- Price From £1.25 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Spindle or Euonymus europaeus is widely recognised for its stunning autumnal colours, in which the vibrant pink capsules open-up to reveal bold-coloured orange fruits, and leaves turning from a deep green to a glowing red.
- Price From £6.60 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Field Wildlife Mix is a traditional British mixed hedge that's suitable for most conditions including coastal and windy sites. This mix not only adapts well to various environments but also encourages bushy growth, promoting a dense and vigorous habitat.
Planting essentials
Give your new hedge the best possible start with the planting products we recommend for establishment and healthy growth.
- Price From £14.95 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Support the establishment of newly planted hedges, trees and shrubs with Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi. The beneficial fungi form a secondary root system that helps plants access water and nutrients from the surrounding soil.
The included dipping gel makes Rootgrow particularly convenient for bare-root hedging, while the dry granules can be applied directly to the roots of pot-grown and root-balled plants.
Choose from 360g, 1kg and 2.5L Professional packs for domestic gardens, longer hedge lines and trade or commercial planting projects.
- Price From £8.25 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Feeding your hedging with our granular ‘Hedge Feed’ the ultimate solution for nurturing and rejuvenating your beloved hedge. Our carefully crafted long lasting granular hedge fertiliser provides the essential nutrients your hedge needs to thrive.
- Price From £0.95 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
As well as supplying high quality plants we also provide a complete Irrigation package to make sure your investment thrives.
- Price From £8.00 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our Hedge Planting Compost is a natural, peat free soil conditioner/improver.
- Price From £0.29 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our bamboo canes provide support to your hedge and ensures that plants fitted with a rabbit guard will grow nice and straight. They are 90cm long (3ft) and made from 100% bamboo.
- Price From £0.58 Shop Now This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our Hedging Spiral Guards help protect your hedge from damage by rabbits.


