Pittosporum ‘Green Dome’

Pittosporum 'Green Dome' (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Green Dome') is the low hedge that shapes itself. It settles at about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide in a naturally rounded dome of small glossy leaves, holding a tidy form with far less clipping than taller pittosporums need. Add frost hardiness and salt tolerance, and it is the sensible choice for a formal low hedge from Adelaide to the Sunshine Coast.

Why you'll love it

• The shape comes built in. It grows as a dome without training, so an unclipped plant still looks deliberate and a trimmed one needs only light work.
• The right height to see over. At 1.5m it defines a space, screens a bin area or edges a driveway without walling the garden in.
• Wind, salt and frost bounce off it. Exposed coastal fronts and cold southern gardens both suit it, a rare combination in a formal hedging plant.
• It clips into anything. Fine dense growth takes shears cleanly, so balls, cubes and low hedges all hold their edges. Two trims a year keep it sharp.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 80cm apart in a single row. That spacing lets each plant fill out while the canopies meet, which keeps the base furnished rather than leggy.

Topiary and shaped features. The natural dome makes clipped balls easy, and matched pairs at a gate hold their symmetry with little correction.

Pots and courtyards. A pot 400mm or wider suits one plant, and in a container it usually settles closer to 1m.

Growing Pittosporum Green Dome in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth, and part shade works at the cost of a looser dome. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy once established. The wet tropics are the climate to avoid, since constant heat and humidity bring on leaf drop.

Soil. Any reasonable soil with drainage. On clay, plant on a raised mound and work compost through the bed, because standing water is what kills pittosporums. Mulch 75mm deep, back from the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper to occasional watering in long dry spells. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the foliage glossy.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density from the ground up. After that, one trim after the spring flush and a light tidy in late summer holds the shape. Avoid cutting into bare inner wood, which is slow to reshoot.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is grown and sold as tube stock, so your plants will be young, usually 10cm to 20cm above the tube. Be realistic about the timeline: this is a slow growing plant, and tube stock at 80cm centres takes three to four years to read as a finished hedge.

In return you get a hedge that stays at the height you wanted instead of one you fight every season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Prepare the whole trench rather than individual holes, and keep the water up through the first two summers. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant a hedge and keep it looking sharp
• Browse the full hedging and screening range
• Compare screening plants that hold at 1m to 2m
• Plants that take clipping and topiary

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Eighty centimetres apart in a single row. Planting tighter does not close the hedge faster and makes the plants compete for water, which shows up as thin growth near the ground.

How fast does it grow?

Slowly, and that is the trade. Expect roughly 15cm to 25cm a year once established, so a tube stock hedge needs three to four years.

Can I keep it lower than 1.5m?

Yes. Two trims a year hold it at 800mm to 1m as a formal low hedge. Start trimming while the plants are young so density builds from the base.