Willow Leaf Hakea

Willow Leaf Hakea (Hakea salicifolia) is one of the fastest native screening shrubs available, and the practical answer to a bare boundary you want covered this year rather than in five. It grows to about 5m tall and 3m wide with soft willow like foliage, new growth flushing bronze pink, and clusters of small cream flowers in spring. It grows on poor soil, in salt wind, through frost and drought, and it takes a hard cut back.

Why you'll love it

• Speed you can rely on. Few natives close a gap faster, so a row of tubestock can screen a fence line within two seasons.
• It takes hard pruning. Unlike many natives it reshoots from old wood, so a leggy plant can be cut back and will refurnish from the base.
• Soft foliage, not prickly. The narrow willow shaped leaves have none of the spines other hakeas carry, so it is safe beside a path.
• Built for hard sites. Frost, drought, coastal salt, wind and poor soil are all handled, which suits an exposed rural or seaside boundary.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense screen. Tip prune from the start, because unpruned plants get tall and thin at the base rather than filling out.

Windbreaks and coastal gardens. A staggered double row at 1.5m spacing filters wind across a paddock or a seaside block instead of forcing it over the top.

Mass planting and revegetation. Set 2m apart across a bank or a difficult corner. It establishes quickly on poor ground and gives small birds shelter.

Growing Willow Leaf Hakea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun produces the densest growth. Part shade works but the screen stays open. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold southern and tableland winters once established.

Soil. Genuinely undemanding. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are ideal. Drainage matters more than fertility, so mound the planting position on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring if you feed it at all. Standard garden fertiliser is too rich and can kill an established plant.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting and trim twice a year, after flowering and again in late summer. If it has run to 5m and gone bare below, cut it back hard in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tubestock, in 140mm packs of ten, 200mm packs of six and 250mm packs of three, and in single 300mm and 400mm pots. Tubes and 140mm plants are the value choice for a long boundary, since this plant grows so fast that larger sizes buy months rather than years. The 300mm and 400mm plants are already branched, worth it for a short run.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet few weeks after planting, then strong growth through the first warm season. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The fastest screening trees for privacy
• Browse the Australian native shrub range
• Compare screening plants from 4m to 8m
• How to create a hedge and keep it sharp

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One and a half metres apart in a single row. At that spacing the canopies meet within two seasons, and each plant still gets the light it needs to stay furnished low down.

How fast does it actually grow?

In a warm garden with reasonable water, roughly a metre a year for the first few years. Growth slows as it nears its mature 5m, and it is slower through a cold southern winter.

Can I cut it back if it gets too tall?

Yes, and this is its real advantage over most natives. A hard cut in early spring will bring a 5m plant back to a manageable hedge.