Screening Plants 2m to 4m

How to choose screening plants in the 2m to 4m range

Speed first. Mock Orange (Murraya paniculata) is the fast, fragrant default for warm climates, reaching about 3m and closing ranks planted 1m apart. The viburnums are just as quick, with 'Emerald Lustre' running to 4m untrimmed and usually held lower. The price of that pace is two or three trims a year once the screen is established.

Slower choices repay patience with less work. Port Wine Magnolia (Magnolia figo) takes its time to 3m but is very easy to shape, carrying small cream and burgundy flowers with a strong port wine perfume in spring. Sweet Osmanthus reaches 4m with tiny flowers that smell of apricots, and it is untroubled by frost. For foliage colour, Photinia 'Red Robin' flushes bright red new growth on a fast 4m frame.

The native options hold their own. Cascade Lilly Pilly is unusual among lilly pillies for its fluffy pink flowers and soft weeping new growth, reaching about 4m at 1m spacings, while 'Big Red' matches the height with bright red flushes. Both take clipping well and bring birds into the garden.

Matching the screen to your climate

• Tropical and subtropical gardens. Murraya, Cascade Lilly Pilly and 'Emerald Lustre' viburnum all thrive in heat and humidity. One caution: murraya berries are spread by birds and the species is discouraged in parts of coastal Queensland, so check local rules or choose a sterile form.
• Warm temperate and coastal gardens. Nearly everything here performs, and the lilly pillies, viburnums and kohuhus all carry coastal and salt tolerance.
• Cool temperate and frost prone gardens. Photinia 'Red Robin', Sweet Osmanthus, Teddy Bear Magnolia and the kohuhus (Pittosporum tenuifolium) are all frost hardy. Murraya and Port Wine Magnolia take light frost only, so keep them for milder sites.

Spacing: how many plants for your fence line

Divide the run by the spacing, then add one so a plant sits at each end.

• 1m apart: murraya, photinia, Cascade Lilly Pilly, Port Wine Magnolia and 'Emerald Lustre'. A 12m boundary takes 13 plants.
• 700mm apart: 'Screen Between' kohuhu, which holds under 2m wide at 4m tall and suits tighter beds.
• 1.5m apart: Sweet Osmanthus and Teddy Bear Magnolia, both broad and dense, so fewer plants do the same job.

Set the row at least 60cm off the fence so you can reach the back face with shears, and resist planting tighter to hurry the result: crowded rows compete below ground and thin at the base by year three.

Planting and early care

Plant into a hole twice the width of the pot and no deeper, water in heavily and mulch 75mm deep, keeping mulch clear of the stems. Water deeply twice a week for the first summer, then taper off. Feed in early spring and again in late summer with a controlled release fertiliser. Most importantly, start trimming early: light tip pruning from the first season builds density at the base, where a privacy screen actually earns its keep. Our lilly pilly care guide covers pruning timing for the native options in detail.

Common questions

How long before I get real privacy?

From 200mm pots at the spacings above, expect a meaningful visual break in 18 months to two years and full cover by year three. Fast growers such as murraya and the viburnums sit at the quick end of that range in warm climates.

Can I hold a 4m plant at 2.5m?

Yes, and most people should. The 4m figures are untrimmed heights, and two clips a year holds these plants comfortably at 2.5m to 3m with a denser face than any unclipped screen.

Which screening plants stay narrow?

'Screen Between' kohuhu holds about 1.8m wide and Teddy Bear Magnolia around 2.5m. If the bed is under a metre wide, step across to the tall and narrow screening range instead.

What if this band is taller than I need?

Screens that finish lower live in the 1m to 2m screening collection, which suits pool surrounds, front gardens and low boundaries.

How does delivery work?

Delivered Australia wide with delivery from $29.95. Orders need to reach the $300 minimum before delivery, which a hedge run does easily, and advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.