Pittosporum Mean Screen

Pittosporum 'Mean Screen' (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Mean Screen') is a screening plant for gardens with no width to spare. It grows naturally upright to about 5m tall and only 1.5m wide, carrying small glossy leaves on near black stems and holding foliage from the ground up. Planted a metre apart it closes into a narrow green wall without constant shaping.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and genuinely narrow. A 1.5m footprint screens a first floor window from a side passage where a lilly pilly would never fit.
• Fast to close. Growth is quick for a screening plant, so a boundary reads as solid within a few seasons.
• Hardy across the country. Frost hardy, wind tolerant, salt tolerant and drought tolerant once established.
• Scent at dusk. The small maroon flowers are easy to miss, but they carry a strong honey fragrance on still spring evenings.
• Takes clipping well. The small leaves respond to shears, so it suits a formal hedge or a shaped column too.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Tighter spacing does not close the gap faster and only makes watering and feeding harder along the row.

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

Narrow beds and small gardens. It suits a side passage, a strip between fence and path, or a pair flanking an entry where a wider plant would crowd the door.

Growing Pittosporum 'Mean Screen' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest screen, and part shade works but stays looser. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens, and is frost hardy once established.

Soil. Well drained above all else. Type matters little, but wet feet cause root rot, which is the main reason these plants fail. On clay, plant on a raised mound with compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as the roots take hold. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer keeps the foliage dense and dark.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down, then trim twice a year to hold height. Stay within green growth, because it does not reshoot willingly from bare old wood, so a hard cut back leaves permanent gaps.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in advanced 400mm pots. Tubes are the value choice for a long boundary, at the cost of an extra season before the screen closes. The 400mm plants arrive already branched with real height on day one, which is the usual pick for a short run beside a window.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet month after planting, then strong growth through the first warm season, all covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Pittosporum care and pruning guide
• Browse tall and narrow screening plants
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• How to create a hedge and keep it sharp

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart in a single row for a solid screen. At that spacing the plants meet at the sides and stay furnished right down to the base.

How fast does it grow?

Fast for a screening plant. From advanced stock in a sunny, well drained position, most gardens see a usable screen in two to three seasons.

Can I keep it at 2m?

Yes. Two trims a year within the green growth hold it at any height from about 2m up, and the narrow habit means the width barely changes.

Why has mine died back at the base?

Usually wet soil rather than pruning. Check that the bed is not holding water and that mulch is not banked against the stems.