In order to understand the impact of vegetation groups on the hydraulic characteristics of natural meandering river, this paper designed two kinds of layout forms in which the cluster layout simulated the natural cluster vegetation group, and the uniform layout simulated the artificial regular planting vegetation group. Through the flume experiment, the impact of different layout forms of vegetation on the distribution of flow field, hydrodynamic axis, turbulent kinetic energy and transverse circulation structure in continuous bends was explored. The results show that the flow field in the bend appears obvious velocity partition in which the high velocity area is close to the convex bank, and the low velocity area is attached to the concave bank. Vegetation layout makes the distribution range of high and low flow rate areas have the opposite change rule: the high flow rate area increases, while the low flow rate area decreases. Under the action of the bend, the hydrodynamic axis 'gradually swings to the convex bank on the upstream side of the bend top, close to the convex bank near the bend top and swings to the concave bank on the downstream side of the bend top, completing a cycle of motion changes. Vegetation layout makes it swing to the middle of the flume and the deviation degree of cluster layout is greater than that of uniform layout. Under the action of the bend, the distribution of turbulent kinetic energy of water flow is small on both sides and large in the middle. On the whole, the layout of vegetation increases the turbulent kinetic energy on the downstream side of the bent top, and the impact of cluster layout is greater than the uniform. The vegetation layout changes the circulation structure of the section, which is manifested by the swing of the vortex core position and the change of the distribution range.