Screening Plants 4m to 8m

Be sure you need this much height

A screen in this band will hide a two storey window, but it also throws long winter shade, spreads 2m to 4m wide in most cases, and puts the trimming beyond step ladder reach. Measure the sightline you need to block before you buy. If a 3m hedge would do the job, the 2m to 4m screening range costs far less to maintain over the next twenty years. When the height is genuinely needed, choose from screening plants proven to carry foliage to the ground at this scale.

Choosing tall screening plants: the real trade offs

Lilly Pilly 'Resilience' remains the default for good reason: about 5m untrimmed, dense to ground level, psyllid resistant so the foliage stays clean without spraying, and happy clipped at whatever height you settle on. Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) is the fast growing classic at 5m to 6m and is frost hardy, which most of the lilly pillies are not.

For speed with a contained footprint, Slender Weavers bamboo reaches about 8m on a clumping base that stays 1m to 2m across, so it screens a two storey wall from a bed barely a metre deep. For formality, Pencil Pine holds 5m tall by 1m wide with almost no clipping. Among the natives, Lemon Scented Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) makes a fragrant 6m screen, Luehmann's Lilly Pilly carries edible riberry fruit at around 7m, and Blueberry Ash and Native Frangipani give lighter framed flowering screens to 8m.

Spacing and planting at this scale

• 1m apart: Lilly Pilly 'Resilience', Sweet Viburnum and Slender Weavers bamboo for a solid wall.
• 1.5m apart: Lemon Scented Myrtle, Luehmann's Lilly Pilly and Little Gem Magnolia, which also keeps its roots well behaved near paving.
• 2m to 3m apart: Blueberry Ash at 2m and Native Frangipani at 3m, where a softer, more tree like screen suits the space.

Set the row at least 80cm off the fence, more if you will ever need access behind it. Dig each hole twice the pot width and no deeper, water in thoroughly and mulch well. Tall screens are usually planted from 200mm pots up to 45L stock; bigger sizes buy years of growth, and advanced and large stock is freighted at cost.

Care while the screen grows up

Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, because a plant heading for 6m is building a root system to match. Feed in early spring and late summer. Resist the urge to leave the plants untouched until they reach full height: trimming the sides from year one builds the dense face you are after, and you can let the leaders run until the screen hits its target, then top it and hold it there. Plan access for trimming at height too. A 6m hedge needs a platform ladder or a professional with a boom, which is worth knowing before planting rather than after.

Common questions

What is the fastest screen to 6m?

Slender Weavers bamboo is the standout, the quickest here to real height once established, and our bamboo screening guide covers how it behaves. Among conventional hedges, Sweet Viburnum is the fastest of the group.

Will these damage pipes or paving?

Slender Weavers is a clumping bamboo, not a runner, so the base stays contained. Little Gem Magnolia and Pencil Pine both carry non invasive root ratings, and Tuckeroo is another safe choice near hard surfaces. Give the broader trees generous clearance from structures as a matter of course.

Can I keep these plants lower than 4m?

Most of them, yes. Sweet Viburnum is commonly held at 2m to 3m, and 'Resilience' clips to any height from 2m up. If you plan to hold a screen at 2.5m forever, though, start in the band below and save yourself the work.

Which tall screens handle frost?

Sweet Viburnum, Pencil Pine and Little Gem Magnolia are frost hardy. The lilly pillies, the bamboo, Lemon Scented Myrtle and Blueberry Ash take light frost only, so cold inland gardens should lean on the first group. If width is the tighter constraint, the tall and narrow screening collection narrows the field further.

How does delivery work for big plants?

Everything is delivered Australia wide, with standard delivery from $29.95 and no minimum order. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, quoted for your address. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.