How to grow a hedge or screen.

Type of screening or hedging.

• What kind of screening or hedge do you want? Is it just to divide of some areas in the garden, creating a nice green screen or do you need a high wall to get some privacy from a neighboring block? The height of the screen is number one.
• The height, up to a meter or over 3 meter?
• Which plants thrives in your area? Walk or drive around your neighborhood and look at what seems to work best. Make sure you don’t choose a plant that would not grow well in your area.

Prepare your ground.

Dig a trench or a long plot instead of individual holes. This will promote better drainage and easier to maintain. Most soils need some kind of conditioning (too much sand? only clay?) and always add organic matter such cow manure, planting compost, organic pellets there are plenty to choose from.

Distance apart?

Most important, never plant too far apart. It all depends on the height you want your hedge.

• Knee high – 0.5 meter = 3 plants per meter
• Hip high – 1 meter = 2 plants per meter
• Block out – over 2 meter = 1 plant per meter

Trim & fertilise.

Start trimming at once to promote even growth from the bottom. Otherwise you will end upp with a tall plants and holes at the bottom that you will not be able to fix afterwards. Trim at least once every 3 month and while you’re at it, add some fertiliser at the same time. That will encourage your plants to grow.

• Cow manure, 5 in 1 organic pellets, blood & bone.
• Natives: we recommend Blood & Bone.

View fertilisers

Hedge & screening plants for our area.

Under 0.5 meter – 3 plants per meter

• Dwarf Japanese box
• Althernatera (Little Ruby)
• Hebe
• Polygala
• Cuphea

Up to 1 meter – 2 plants per meter:

• Raphiolepis (Snow maiden, Indian hawthorne)
• Murraya Hiphigh.
• Gardenia Florida
• Westringia (Native Rosemary)

Over 2 meter – plant 900mm apart:

• Photinia (Red Robyn)
• Lily Pilly (Resiliance, Backyard bliss)
• Viburnum (Emerald Lustre)
• Camellia Sasanqua (flowering fence)
• Bamboo gracillis

We don’t recommend conifers in our coastal, humid climate.

Read more about hedge & screening plants.