A hedge under a metre does something no fence can. It defines the front boundary, frames the path to the door and keeps the house visible from the street instead of walled off from it. The trouble is that most popular hedging plants want to reach two or three metres, so holding them at knee height means shearing forever. The fix is to start with a plant whose natural size is already close to the height you want.
Quick facts
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Mature size | 0.4m to 1m tall and 0.5m to 1m wide, depending on species |
| Position | Full sun to part shade; flowering forms want five hours of sun |
| Soil | Free draining, compost-improved; raise the bed on heavy clay |
| Water | Twice weekly through the first summer, then weekly |
| Climate zones | Subtropical Brisbane to temperate Melbourne, Mediterranean Perth, coastal and frost-prone inland |
| Spacing | 30 to 50cm apart for a solid line within two seasons |
| Trimming | Two to three light trims a year, not monthly shearing |
Choosing the right low hedge plant
Match the species to your climate first and your look second. Our guide to creating a great hedge covers technique; this is the shortlist that stays low without a fight.
Box is the classic formal choice. Japanese box ‘Faulkner’ is the pick for warm humid districts, holding 60cm to 1m with two trims a year, and it copes with Brisbane summers far better than English box does. Korean box is the toughest in cold inland gardens, though its foliage bronzes over winter. English box gives the finest leaf and crispest edge, but it is slow and belongs in Melbourne, Adelaide and the tablelands rather than the subtropics.
Gardenia ‘Radicans’ is the best low flowering hedge for warm gardens, sitting at 30 to 50cm high and spreading to about 90cm, with glossy dark foliage and small fragrant white flowers from late spring into autumn. Give Radicans gardenia morning sun and slightly acidic soil; our gardenia growing guide goes deeper on keeping the leaves dark green.
Westringia handles salt, wind and drought better than anything else here. Westringia ‘Mundi’ is naturally low and wide at roughly 30 to 50cm by 1m, so it clips into a soft grey-green ribbon along a driveway. ‘Grey Box’ is the more upright option and holds a tight 80cm to 1m shape without the fuss of true buxus.
Dwarf natives and compacts round out the list. Allyn Magic lilly pilly is a genuine dwarf at 50cm to 1m with bronze new growth, and far easier to keep low than the tall screening cultivars in our guide to fast growing hedges. Nandina ‘Nana’ makes a 50 to 60cm mound that colours red through winter and needs almost no pruning. Hip High murraya gives the fragrant murraya flush at about a metre, though in warm coastal districts backing onto bushland a native is the safer pick, because murraya seed is spread by birds.
How to plant
Autumn and early spring are the two best windows nationally. Avoid planting in the middle of a subtropical summer or a Perth February, because a young hedge has no root reserve to fall back on.
Run a stringline first. A low hedge is seen from directly above by everyone walking past, so a wobble that would vanish in a three metre screen is glaring at 60cm. Dig a continuous trench rather than individual holes wherever you can: it gives even root run and prevents the stunted plant that always appears where somebody hit a rock and gave up.
Work compost and a handful of complete slow-release fertiliser through the whole trench. On heavy clay, build the bed up 100 to 150mm above the surrounding soil, and test drainage first by filling a hole with water. If it has not drained within four hours, raise the bed. Space box and gardenia at 30 to 40cm, westringia and dwarf lilly pilly at 40 to 50cm. Plant at the depth the plant sat in its pot, water in with a seaweed tonic, then mulch 50 to 75mm deep and keep the mulch clear of the stems.
Ongoing care
Watering
Deep and infrequent beats short and daily. For the first summer, water twice a week with enough volume to wet the full root zone, roughly 4 to 5 litres per plant. After the first year most of these species drop back to a weekly soak in summer and a fortnightly one through the cooler months. A dripline along the row is far better than a sprinkler, which wets the foliage and encourages fungal problems in humid weather.
Feeding
Two feeds a year is enough: one in early spring as growth starts, one in late summer. Use a complete slow-release fertiliser for box and westringia, and an azalea and camellia formulation for gardenia, which wants the lower pH and the extra iron. Yellowing between green veins on gardenia usually means iron is locked up rather than absent, so treat with iron chelates and check the soil pH first.
Pruning
Trim little and often rather than hard and rarely. The first cut should happen when the plants are still 100 to 150mm below your target height, because tip pruning forces the side branching that makes a hedge dense at the base. After that, two or three trims a year holds the shape: late winter, midsummer and, in warm climates, early autumn. Always cut so the base is very slightly wider than the top, which lets light reach the lower foliage and stops the bare-legged look. Stop pruning six weeks before the first expected frost in cold districts.
Common problems and fixes
Gaps in the line. Almost always drainage or spacing rather than a plant fault. Lift the failed plant, check for waterlogged or compacted soil beneath it, improve the spot and replant with the same cultivar so the growth rate matches its neighbours.
Bare bottoms. Caused by shearing the top flat and wide, or by shade from behind. Taper the sides inwards from the base and thin whatever casts the shade.
Cupped tips on box, pimpled leaves on lilly pilly. Both are psyllids, disfiguring rather than fatal. Prune off affected tips in spring, bin the clippings, and feed to push a clean flush.
Sticky leaves and a black film. Scale insects and the sooty mould that follows, most common on gardenia and murraya in still humid corners. Spray with horticultural oil on a mild day, repeat after two weeks, and improve air movement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest low hedge that stays under a metre?
Westringia ‘Mundi’ and ‘Grey Box’ are the quickest, filling a line in 12 to 18 months from 200mm pots in full sun. Allyn Magic lilly pilly is close behind in warm climates. Box is the slowest by a wide margin, typically taking two to three years to close up, which is exactly why it holds its shape so well once it gets there.
How many plants do I need per metre?
Between two and three. At 30cm spacing you need roughly three plants per metre, at 40cm two and a half, and at 50cm two. Closer spacing closes the gaps faster but does not produce a healthier or denser hedge in the long run, so there is little benefit in planting tighter than 30cm.
Can I grow a low hedge in shade?
Yes, with the right species. Japanese box and gardenia ‘Radicans’ both perform in dappled light or with morning sun only, although the gardenia will flower less. Westringia and nandina need real sun to stay dense. In deep shade under established trees, expect any hedge to be more open and to need less trimming.
When is the best time to plant a low hedge in Australia?
Autumn is the best window across most of the country, because the soil is still warm, rainfall is more reliable and roots get months to establish before summer. Early spring is the second choice, and it is the better one in cold inland gardens where autumn plantings can be lifted by frost heave before they anchor.
Ready to plant?
A hedge under a metre is the cheapest way to make a front garden look designed rather than decorated. Browse the full range of hedging plants to compare mature sizes, or start with our low-maintenance shrubs if you would rather trim twice a year than twice a month.
