Hedging & Screening

Start with the height your screen actually needs

Almost every screening mistake begins here. Gardeners buy the tallest, fastest plant on the bench to block one window, then spend the next decade cutting it back twice a year. Measure first. A standard fence panel is 1.8m, so a hedge held at 2.5m to 3m hides a neighbouring deck or first floor window from most angles.

Then match that number to a plant whose natural height sits close to it. Lilly Pilly 'Resilience' reaches about 5m untrimmed and sits comfortably at 2m to 3m as a clipped hedge. Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) gets to 5m or 6m and is usually held at the same height. If you only need 1m to 1.5m, Japanese Box (Buxus microphylla var. japonica) or Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) will reach that and stop.

Width matters more than most people expect

The second number is how far the plant pushes into the garden or path. A screening lilly pilly spreads to about 3m, which is unworkable in a side passage. This is where columnar selections earn their price: 'Straight and Narrow' holds roughly 1m wide at 5m tall and 'Pinnacle' about 1.2m, both with almost no side pruning. Keep the broader forms in our lilly pilly range for open runs.

Growth rate versus maintenance

Speed is never free. A plant that grows quickly upward grows quickly outward too, so time saved early is paid back in clipping. Fast growing screening plants such as Sweet Viburnum, Murraya and clumping bamboo want two to three trims a year once established. A modern lilly pilly selection needs one or two. Box needs a single annual clip, but takes three to four years to close a low hedge.

The honest trade off: if you need privacy this season, plant fast and accept the maintenance. If you can wait two years, plant closer to your target height and clip once a year thereafter.

Spacing: how many plants per metre of fence

Divide the run length by the spacing, then add one if you want a plant at each end.

• 1m spacing, 1 plant per metre. Screening lilly pillies, Sweet Viburnum, Murraya, Photinia and clumping bamboo. A 12m fence takes 12 plants.
• 60cm to 80cm spacing, 1.25 to 1.7 plants per metre. Columnar screeners such as 'Pinnacle' and 'Straight and Narrow'. A 12m run takes 15 to 20 plants.
• 70cm spacing, about 1.4 plants per metre. Coastal Rosemary and other hedges finishing near 1.5m.
• 30cm to 40cm spacing, 2.5 to 3 plants per metre. Formal box borders and low edging.

Planting tighter does not buy a faster hedge. It buys root competition, thin bases and losses by year three. Set the row 60cm to 80cm off the fence so you can prune behind it.

Choosing screening plants for your climate

Australia is not one growing region, and the hedge that thrives in Cairns will sulk in Canberra.

• Tropical and subtropical gardens. Lilly pillies, Murraya, Sweet Viburnum and clumping bamboo all perform. Humidity brings psyllid pressure on older lilly pilly varieties, so choose a resistant selection.
• Warm temperate coastal gardens. The widest choice in the country. Salt and wind are the limits, so favour coastal and salt tolerant plants.
• Cool temperate and frost prone gardens, including inland New South Wales and Victoria, the Adelaide Hills, Canberra and Tasmania. Frost hardy species only. Sweet Viburnum, Photinia 'Red Robin', Coastal Rosemary and Japanese Box all cope. Murraya and most bamboo do not.
• Mediterranean and dry inland gardens around Perth and Adelaide. Westringia, box and photinia hold a hedge on far less water than a lilly pilly, and many Australian native plants suit these conditions.

Planting and the first two years

Dig each hole twice as wide as the pot and no deeper, so the plant sits at its original soil level. Backfill with the soil you removed, water in heavily, then mulch 75mm deep and keep the mulch off the stems. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer rather than lightly every day, and feed with controlled release fertiliser in early spring and late summer. Start tip pruning while the plants are small: a hedge trimmed lightly from year one builds a dense base, and one left to run tall for three years never fills in at the bottom. Our lilly pilly care guide covers pruning timing in more detail.

Common questions

How long until my screen closes up?

Planted from 200mm pots and watered properly, most fast screening plants give meaningful privacy in 18 months to two years, with full coverage by year three. Tubestock costs far less per plant and catches up better than people expect, but adds roughly a year.

Can I plant a hedge right against the fence?

You can, but leave 60cm to 80cm of clearance if the plant will finish above 2m. You need access to prune the back face, and a hedge crammed against palings traps moisture and pushes on the fence as trunks thicken. For a low box border, 30cm is plenty.

Which screening plant needs the least work?

One that stops near your target height by itself. Coastal Rosemary at 1.5m, Japanese Box held around 1m, or a columnar lilly pilly kept at 3m all need one or two clips a year. High maintenance hedges ask an 8m plant to behave like a 2m wall.

Are there screening plants that will not lift paving?

Clumping bamboo has a contained root system and stays about 1m to 2m across at the base, unlike running types, so the clumping bamboo collection is safe near paths and pools. Lilly pillies and Westringia are also well behaved near paving.

How does delivery work for a full hedge order?

Everything on this page is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, which most hedge orders clear easily. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.