Tasman Ruffles Kohuhu

Tasman Ruffles Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tasman Ruffles') is a screening shrub for boundaries with height to gain and no width to give away. It grows to about 3m tall and only 1.5m wide, holding small glossy leaves with wavy edges on near black stems, so the foliage catches light rather than sitting as a flat green mass. It is frost hardy, salt tolerant and wind tolerant.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow by nature. At roughly 3m by 1.5m it screens a fence line or a window without pushing into the garden bed in front of it.
• Texture other hedges do not have. Ruffled leaf margins and dark stems give a hedge movement and depth instead of a solid block of green.
• It handles exposure. Salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so it holds up on coastal blocks and open corners where softer screening plants burn.
• It clips beautifully. Fine foliage and dense branching mean it takes shaping into columns, cubes or a crisp formal face, and it is frost hardy and drought tolerant once established.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 80cm apart in a single row. That spacing suits a plant this narrow and gives a solid screen in two to three seasons.

Coastal gardens. A double staggered row at 80cm spacing filters salt laden wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed block needs.

Topiary and shaping. Single plants take well to columns and standards, and the small leaf means a cut face stays neat rather than showing torn foliage.

Growing Tasman Ruffles in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with full sun giving the densest growth and darkest stems. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and is frost hardy once established. The wet tropics and the hot arid interior are outside its range.

Soil. Drainage matters more than soil type. Pittosporums are prone to root rot in wet ground, so on clay plant on a raised mound and never leave the root ball in a hole that holds water.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in dry spells, since it is genuinely drought tolerant after two seasons. A slow release fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the growth tight.

Pruning. Start trimming from planting, taking small amounts two or three times a year. That is what builds density from the base. Avoid renovating an overgrown plant by cutting into bare old wood, because it reshoots reluctantly.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes, all sold as packs for hedge runs: 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three. At 80cm spacing, ten 140mm plants cover a little over 7m of boundary, six 200mm plants cover 4m and three 250mm plants cover 1.6m. There is no advanced size, so this is a screen you grow rather than one you install.

Plants arrive as young branched shrubs, not finished hedge stock. Expect new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to create a hedge and keep it sharp
• Other tall and narrow screening plants
• Browse the full hedging range
• Plants that cope with salt and coastal wind

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Eighty centimetres apart in a single row. The plant is only 1.5m wide at maturity, so tighter spacing simply puts more root systems into the same soil without closing the screen any faster.

How fast does it grow?

Moderately. Expect roughly 30cm to 50cm a year, so a screen at eye height takes two to three years from 200mm stock.

Can I keep it at 2m?

Yes. Two or three light trims a year hold it between about 1.5m and its natural 3m, and regular trimming keeps it furnished to the base.