Bareroot Field Maple Hedge Plants

Acer Campestre Hedging Plants

Delivered by Mail Order Direct from our Nursery with a Year Guarantee

These seedling Field Maple trees are intended for use as hedge plants. This medium sized native tree is a classic component of a mixed country hedge, suitable for almost any soil and location. The common or field maple is a fast growing plant that responds well to hard pruning. This makes it ideal for country hedges, which are often trimmed roughly with large strimmers. It also makes a beautiful ornamental tree, with a round canopy of twiggy branches that is useful for screening and windbreaks. Field maple has cork-like ridges on its young stems and it is often planted on the edge of woodland. The small yellow-green flowers aren't really visible amongst the new spring leaves but they are great for bees. The flowers mature into winged seeds. It grows almost anywhere and thrives in both chalk and heavy clay. Field maple leaves in autumn are a clear, warm golden-yellow.

Field Maple will reach about 15-25 metres if it grows freely as a tree. The plants on this page are young saplings, ideal for planting as hedging or in woodland projects. You can also buy larger Field Maple trees here. View our selection of native hedging or see our full range of hedging plants.

Field Maple hedge plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).

Spacing a Field Maple hedge:

Plant Field Maple hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cm apart. You can also plant Field Maple at 6 plants per metre in a staggered double row, with 33cm between each plant along the row and 40cm between the rows.

History & uses of Acer campestre:

Field maple trees aren't big enough to provide much useful timber for large objects, but the wood is strong, flexible and polishes beautifully. It is used for things like wooden bowls, decorative elements of furniture and other ornamental household items. The wood burns very well after a few months of seasoning and maple trees can be coppiced to provide fuel. 

Other names include common elder, dog oak, and maser tree.

Growing Field Maple plants:
Acer campestre will grow in pretty much any soil apart from very acidic, peaty earth. It likes thrives on chalk and limestone. It tolerates sites with poor drainage, although it won't grow in a swamp. It will grow well in partial shade or a full day of dappled shade cast by a larger tree growing over it.
Field Maple is fine to grow in the inner city. It is suitable for exposed and very cold sites, but it won't grow on the coast.

Prepare your site before planting:
Native hedge plants like Field Maple are very tough. The only essential preparation is to kill the weeds in a strip a metre wide along the planting site: improving the soil should not be necessary. If your soil is exceptionally poor and dry, then digging in some well rotted manure and/or compost is worthwhile.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

After Care

After you have planted your Field Maple hedge, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.

Trimming Country hedge plants: Field Maple is a vigorous, native hedging plant that benefits from being cut back hard right after planting, as shown in the country hedge planting video. In the following years, your young hedge should be trimmed lightly once in winter, until it is mature. When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime.

Special notes on caring for Field Maple hedges:
Field Maple is a very tough hedge plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

After you have planted your Field Maple hedge, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.

Trimming Country hedge plants: Field Maple is a vigorous, native hedging plant that benefits from being cut back hard right after planting, as shown in the country hedge planting video. In the following years, your young hedge should be trimmed lightly once in winter, until it is mature. When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime.

Special notes on caring for Field Maple hedges:
Field Maple is a very tough hedge plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.