Screen Between Kohuhu

Screen Between Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Screen Between') was selected for exactly the job its name describes: the strip between your windows and the neighbours'. It grows fast to about 4m tall while staying a slim 1.8m wide, with small glossy leaves on near black stems, and it thrives in cold, coastal and dry gardens alike. Planted 700mm apart it becomes a tight evergreen wall in a bed barely a metre deep.

Why you'll love it

• Privacy in a narrow bed. The naturally upright habit gives four metres of screen without swallowing the side path.
• Fast where it matters. One of the quicker fine leaf screens, giving usable cover within two seasons from potted stock.
• Cold and coast proof. Fully frost hardy yet salt and wind tolerant, so it screens in Canberra and on the esplanade with equal composure.
• Foliage with polish. Small wavy edged leaves catch the light against dark stems, smarter than the average hedge and superb in floristry.
• A hidden perfume. Tiny maroon flowers hide among the leaves in spring and release honey scent at night.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 700mm apart in a single row. A 7m boundary takes 10 or 11 plants and clips to a crisp formal face.

Small gardens and side passages. The slim footprint suits townhouse strips and the fence line behind a pool.

Coastal gardens. Salt wind that burns lilly pillies just tightens this pittosporum's habit.

Topiary and shaping. The fine foliage takes pillars, cones and clean rectangles beautifully.

Growing Screen Between in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with sun giving the densest screen. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens; in the humid far north choose a lilly pilly instead.

Soil. Any average garden soil with drainage. It dislikes permanently soggy feet, so raise the bed slightly on heavy clay.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week for the first summer, then it is drought tolerant and largely self sufficient. Feed with a controlled release fertiliser in spring to keep the screen closing fast.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting, then clip once or twice a year, in spring and late summer. It holds any height from 2m up, and recovers well from a firm cut.

What to expect when it arrives

Screen Between ships hedge ready: 140mm pots in packs of 10 and 200mm in packs of 6, priced for full runs, with single 300mm plants grown to order at times and shown as backorder (we confirm timing with you first). Pack stock establishes fast and reaches screening height quickly; expect visible new growth within weeks in the warm months. Delivery is Australia wide, from $29.95, with a minimum order of $300 before delivery, which a hedge run clears easily. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• More tall and narrow screening plants
• Compare all hedging and screening plants
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants

Common questions

How fast will it screen?

From 200mm stock at 700mm spacing, expect meaningful privacy in about two seasons and a solid clipped wall by year three, a touch quicker in warm gardens with regular water.

How narrow can I keep it?

A clipped face holds comfortably at a metre wide, which is why it earns its place in side passages where most screens simply do not fit.

Will it survive frost?

Yes, this is one of its strengths. Kohuhu selections are fully frost hardy and are a mainstay screen in cold climate gardens across southern Australia.

Why can I smell honey at night?

Those are the flowers you probably have not noticed: tiny dark maroon bells tucked against the stems in spring, almost invisible by day and generous with scent after dark.