The weeping lilly pilly is the plant most Australian landscapers reach for when someone wants a tall screen fast. Waterhousea floribunda grows to fifteen metres if left alone, holds dense foliage right to the ground, and clips into a formal hedge as readily as it grows into a shade tree. It is also, importantly, the lilly pilly that psyllid does not disfigure - which is the single reason it is worth choosing over cheaper alternatives.
Quick facts
| Detail | What to expect in Australia |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Waterhousea floribunda |
| Origin | Native to rainforest and creek banks, Queensland and northern NSW |
| Unclipped size | 10-15 m tall, 6-8 m wide |
| As a hedge | Easily held at 2-5 m |
| Position | Full sun to part shade |
| Soil | Prefers moist, well-drained. Tolerates clay |
| Growth rate | Fast - up to 1 m a year when young and well watered |
| Psyllid resistance | Excellent - the main reason to choose it |
| Best climates | Brisbane, coastal NSW, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide |
Why psyllid resistance matters
Anyone who has planted a cheap lilly pilly hedge knows the pimple-like bumps that ruin the new growth. That is lilly pilly psyllid, a tiny sap-sucking insect that attacks the soft new leaves of many Syzygium and Acmena species and leaves permanent distortion behind.
Weeping lilly pilly belongs to a different genus and is genuinely resistant. In a hedge that is constantly pushing new growth after each clip - exactly the growth psyllid targets - that resistance is the difference between a screen that looks clean for a decade and one that never quite does.
How it compares to other lilly pillies
| Variety | Unclipped height | Psyllid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeping (Waterhousea floribunda) | 10-15 m | Resistant | Tall screens, large hedges, shade trees |
| Resilience | 5-6 m | Resistant | Standard suburban hedge, 2-4 m |
| Straight and Narrow | 5-6 m | Resistant | Very narrow screens, 1 m wide |
| Backyard Bliss | 3-4 m | Resistant | Smaller gardens, low-maintenance hedge |
| Allyn Magic | 1 m | Resistant | Low borders and edging |
| Riberry (S. luehmannii) | 8-10 m | Some resistance | Bush tucker, pink new growth |
If you want a screen above five metres, the weeping lilly pilly is the right plant. For a standard two to four metre boundary hedge, Resilience is easier to keep in bounds. For a narrow gap between a fence and a path, Straight and Narrow holds about a metre wide.
Where it grows in Australia
- Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts, northern NSW - its native range. Grows fastest and needs the least help.
- Sydney - excellent, and one of the most planted screening trees in the city.
- Melbourne and Adelaide - grows well in a sheltered position. Young plants can be marked by hard frost, so establish them through spring.
- Perth - performs well with reliable summer water; sandy soils need more irrigation than the eastern states.
- Inland and frost-prone districts - marginal. Repeated heavy frost damages young growth.
Because it comes from creek banks and rainforest margins, it appreciates more moisture than most screening plants. In a hot dry position with no irrigation it will survive but never look its best.
Planting a hedge or screen
- Plant in autumn or spring, avoiding the extremes of summer and winter.
- Space by the screen you want. For a dense hedge, plant at 800 mm to 1 m centres. For a row of specimen trees, 4 to 5 m.
- Dig wide, not deep - two to three times the root ball width, at the same depth.
- Improve heavy clay with compost and gypsum, and plant slightly proud so water drains away from the crown.
- Mulch to 75 mm along the whole row, kept clear of the trunks.
- Water deeply two or three times a week through the first two summers. This is the single biggest factor in how fast the screen closes.
Buy the largest stock your budget allows for a screen. The point of a hedge is usually privacy now rather than in four years, and advanced plants shorten that wait considerably.
Pruning and shaping
Weeping lilly pilly responds extremely well to clipping and will reshoot from old wood, which is unusual and forgiving. Trim two or three times through the growing season - typically spring, midsummer and early autumn - taking a small amount each time rather than one hard annual cut.
Keep the base slightly wider than the top so light reaches the lower foliage. A hedge clipped straight up or narrower at the bottom will thin out down low, and that is the most common reason a lilly pilly screen fails to give privacy where you actually want it.
If a hedge has gone woody and bare inside, it can be cut back hard in early spring. Recovery takes a full season but is generally complete.
Ongoing care
Watering
More than most screening plants. Established hedges cope with dry spells but drop leaves and thin out under prolonged drought, particularly in Perth and Adelaide. Deep soaking once or twice a week in summer beats daily light watering.
Feeding
A hedge is a heavy feeder because clipping constantly removes growth. Apply a controlled-release or organic fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer. Yellowing lower leaves in a clipped hedge almost always means hunger rather than disease.
Common problems and fixes
- Thin, bare base is the classic hedge fault, caused by clipping the sides vertical or narrower at the bottom. Taper the hedge so the base is widest and let light back in.
- Yellow leaves throughout usually means nitrogen shortage in a frequently clipped hedge. Feed and mulch.
- Sudden leaf drop follows drought stress or a hot dry wind. Deep soak and mulch heavily.
- Purple-black staining on paving comes from the small fruit. Avoid planting directly over light-coloured paving or a driveway.
- Slow establishment is nearly always underwatering in the first two summers.
- Scale and sooty mould occasionally appear in shaded still positions. Improve airflow and treat with horticultural oil.
How big does it really get?
This is worth being honest about. Left alone, Waterhousea floribunda becomes a genuine tree - ten to fifteen metres tall with a six to eight metre canopy and a substantial root system. It is planted as a street and park tree for exactly that reason.
In a hedge, regular clipping holds it wherever you want between two and five metres indefinitely. The commitment is the trimming. If you are not going to clip two or three times a year, plant a naturally smaller variety such as Resilience or Backyard Bliss instead, and keep the weeping lilly pilly for boundaries where a large plant is genuinely wanted.
Frequently asked questions
How fast does weeping lilly pilly grow?
Up to a metre a year when young, well fed and watered, slowing as it matures. A hedge planted from 300 mm pots at one metre spacing typically closes into a solid screen in two to three years in Brisbane or Sydney.
Does weeping lilly pilly get psyllid?
It is genuinely resistant. Psyllid attacks many Syzygium and Acmena species, causing pimpled and distorted new growth. Waterhousea floribunda is a different genus and stays clean, which is the main reason it is specified for hedging.
How far apart should I plant a lilly pilly hedge?
800 mm to one metre apart for a dense screen. Closer than that wastes plants without closing the gap faster; wider takes longer to knit together. For individual specimen trees, allow four to five metres.
Can weeping lilly pilly be kept small?
Yes, indefinitely, with two or three trims a year. It reshoots readily from old wood, so it is forgiving of hard pruning. Without regular clipping it will make a ten to fifteen metre tree.
Will it grow in Melbourne?
Yes, in a sheltered position. It is not as fast as it is in Brisbane and young plants can be marked by hard frost, so plant in spring and protect through the first winter. Established hedges are reliably hardy in most Melbourne suburbs.
Do the roots damage pipes or paving?
The root system is substantial on an unclipped tree, so allow three to four metres from pipes, slabs and paving. A regularly clipped hedge has a correspondingly smaller root system, but it is still not a plant for a narrow strip beside a house slab.
Ready to plant?
We grow weeping lilly pilly and the full screening range in tube stock through to advanced sizes for instant privacy. Browse our hedging and screening collection, or mature plants for immediate privacy.
Still deciding? See how the lilly pilly varieties compare and the best fast growing screening trees.
