Revolution Green Melaleuca

Revolution Green Melaleuca (Melaleuca bracteata 'Revolution Green') is the hedge for sites that defeat everything else. It reaches about 3.5m tall and 2.5m wide, carries fine bright green foliage down to ground level, and handles drought, salt wind, poor soil and ground that stays wet after rain. Clipped, it holds a formal face as cleanly as any exotic hedge.

Why you'll love it

• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and able to sit in soil that stays damp for days. Few hedges manage all four.
• Fine foliage that clips well. Small soft leaves give a clean cut line instead of the shredded edges a coarse leaved hedge shows after shearing.
• Fast to close a gap. Planted a metre apart it reads as solid within two to three seasons, and you set the height anywhere from 1.5m to 3.5m.
• Suits almost any climate. Tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid gardens all grow it, which is rare in a hedge.
• Cream flowers the birds use. Small cream and white spring flowers bring honeyeaters to a boundary planting.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense screen. For a taller boundary near full height, stretch that to 1.2m so each plant builds width first.

Windbreaks. A double staggered row at 1m spacing filters wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed rural or coastal block needs.

Topiary and mass planting. Dense branching makes it one of the better natives for clipped balls and standards, and massed at 1m centres it covers batters and verges.

Growing Revolution Green Melaleuca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth. It performs from the tropics through to cool temperate and arid gardens and is frost hardy once established, so southern and inland gardeners can plant it with confidence.

Soil. Almost anything. Sandy, compacted, poor and clay ground all work, and it shrugs off a spot holding water for a few days after heavy rain. Permanent standing water is still too much.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the colour bright.

Pruning. Trim lightly and often from the day it goes in rather than waiting for height. It reshoots from old wood, so a neglected hedge can be cut back hard in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, and 45L. Tube and 140mm plants are young and single stemmed, and they are the value choice for a long boundary because this melaleuca grows fast enough to catch up. A 45L is a substantial shrub on day one.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet fortnight, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather, and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee on every plant.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to identify and care for melaleucas and paperbarks
• Browse the full melaleuca range
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Plants that stand up to wind

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. That spacing lets the canopies meet within two to three seasons while each plant still furnishes at the base. Tighter planting costs more and closes no faster.

Can I keep it lower than 3.5m?

Yes. Two or three trims a year hold it anywhere from about 1.5m upwards, and because it reshoots readily from old wood it stays leafy at the bottom.

Will it cope with a wet corner of the garden?

It tolerates soil that stays wet for a few days after rain, which is unusual in a hedging plant. It is not a pond plant though, so permanently waterlogged ground will still rot the roots.