Silver Sheen Dream Kohuhu

Silver Sheen Dream Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen Dream') is the screening plant for spaces a lilly pilly would swallow. It grows quickly to about 3m tall yet holds a slim 1.5m width, so it builds real privacy from a strip of soil barely a metre deep. The small silver green leaves sit on fine dark stems, and the whole plant catches the light and moves in a breeze.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow by nature. At about 3m by 1.5m it screens a fence line or an overlooking window without claiming the whole garden bed.
• Fast where it counts. A quick grower in its first seasons, exactly what you want from a privacy planting.
• Tough once established. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and comfortable in coastal wind and salt, so it suits exposed boundaries that burn softer foliage.
• Foliage that lifts a dull corner. The silvery leaves read pale and luminous against dark fences and brick, a calm backdrop for bolder planting.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 80cm apart in a single row for a dense narrow screen. At that spacing the plants knit into a continuous curtain while staying slim enough for a side boundary or driveway edge.

Hedging. Clipped from the start it makes a neat hedge anywhere from 1.5m to 3m. Trim lightly and often rather than hard and rarely, and it stays dense to the base.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A pot 400mm or wider with good drainage puts fast, soft height on a balcony, and a matched pair frames an entry.

Growing Silver Sheen Dream Kohuhu in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with the densest growth in sun. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and it is properly frost hardy, so cold districts that rule out many fine leafed screens are fine. In the humid subtropics give it moving air and sharp drainage. It is not a plant for the tropics.

Soil. Any reasonable garden soil that drains. It resents waterlogging, so on heavy clay plant into a mounded bed with compost worked through. Mulch, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off; established plants shrug off normal dry spells. Controlled release fertiliser in early spring keeps growth dense and the colour bright.

Pruning. Tip prune young plants to thicken them, then trim in spring and again in late summer. Keep cuts within leafy growth, because pittosporums are slow to reshoot from bare old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Silver Sheen Dream from tube stock through to 400mm pots, with the 140mm, 200mm and 250mm sizes sold in multi plant packs priced for hedging runs. Tubes and pack sizes are young single stemmed plants that establish quickly; the 400mm size carries real height from day one. Stock is grown in batches, so some sizes sit on backorder while the next batch comes on.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect a quiet fortnight while roots settle, then steady growth through the warm months. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Fast growing hedges for Australian gardens
• Tall and narrow screening plants
• Browse the full hedging and screening range

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

80cm apart in a single row. That spacing closes into a solid screen without the crowding that starves individual plants, and it keeps the finished screen slim.

How tall and wide does it get?

About 3m tall by 1.5m wide left alone. As a trimmed hedge it holds comfortably between 1.5m and 2.5m with two light trims a year.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and well suited to cool temperate districts. Young plants appreciate a spot away from the coldest hollow for their first winter.

Does it flower?

It carries tiny dark maroon flowers most people never notice, though they are lightly honey scented up close. This is a plant you buy for foliage.