Australia is a pretty tough climate to establish a hedge or screen. It’s hot, dry and often humid in many places, and our soils can be a real challenge. Traditional box hedges and many weaker exotic plants regularly fail, leaving either burnt plants, or hedges and screens with drop outs. Avoid drop outs and gaps by using tough native and exotic plants.
Hedges are useful to define boundaries, while screens provide privacy or cover walls and fences. Hedges are less costly than fences and they look a lot better. Hedges and screens can be helpful for covering unsightly fixtures and can also deter crime. Hedges are often used to great effect in framing house and garden features, and can add symmetry to the garden. Both screens and hedges can add value to the home or in commercial developments. Screening plants can be great at improving privacy and reducing noise from traffic.
Some people would prefer low maintenance, slower growing hedges and are a little patient. Others want a quick establishing screen and do not mind pruning more often. Some prefer a compromise, and want a plant that establishes quick enough, yet has only moderate maintenance. Below is a list of screens and hedges from Ozbreed with their speed of establishment and average number of prunes per year listed.
Note: some slow to establish plants are well worth the wait, as they can often be super tough. Eg; Cosmic Pink™ Raphiolepis. It may take a few years for a good hedge to develop, but it will look great as small shrubby hedges in the interim, and the plant itself is almost indestructible. So situations will allow for slower establishment, while others, people want a screen to provide privacy quickly.
Autumn Royalty™
Rhododendron hybrid ‘CONLEC’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1.25m high x 1.25m wide |
Moderate |
2 |
Moderate |
Autumn Twist™
Rhododendron hybrid ‘CONLEP’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1.2m high x 1m wide |
Moderate |
2 |
Moderate |
Better John™
Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ1’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60cm-1.2m high x 60-90cm wide |
Slow |
Every 2 yrs |
Low |
Blue Gem™
Westringia ‘WES03’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1-1.5m high x 80cm-1.3m wide |
Fast |
3 |
Moderate |
Blush™
Nandina domestica ‘AKA’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60-70cm high x 60-70cm wide |
Slow |
Every 3 yrs |
Low |
Coastal Pink™
Correa alba ‘COR10’ PBR Pending
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1-1.8m high x 1-1.8 m wide pruned; 2m high x wide unpruned |
Moderate-fast |
1-2 |
Moderate |
Cosmic Pink™
Raphiolepis indica ‘RAPH02’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
50-80cm high x 50-80cm wide |
Slow |
1 |
Low |
Cosmic White™
Raphiolepis indica ‘RAPH01’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1.5-2m high x 1.5m wide |
Slow |
1 |
Low |
Crimson Villea™
Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘H16’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
80cm high x 80cm wide |
Moderate |
1 |
Low |
Dense Fence™
Viburnum odoratissimum ‘VOC1’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
3.5m high x 2m wide |
Fast |
3 |
Moderate |
Flirt™
Nandina domestica ‘MURASAKI’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Low Hedge |
30-40cm high x 40-50cm wide |
Slow |
Every 2 years |
Low |
Flora Burst™
Callistemon viminalis ‘CC06’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
2m high x 1.5m wide |
Moderate |
2 |
Moderate |
Green John™
Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ23’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60cm-1m high x 60cm wide |
Slow |
Every 2 yrs |
Low |
Grey Box™
Westringia fruticosa ‘WES04’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
30-45cm high x 30-45cm wide unpruned; 30 cm high x 30cm wide pruned |
Moderate |
2 |
Low |
Hobbit™
Syzygium francisii ‘DBK01’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both
|
60cm (shrub) to 3m (screen) high x 90cm (shrub) to 1.5m (screen) wide |
Slow |
1 |
Low |
Macarthur™
Callistemon viminalis ‘LC01’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1.8m high x 1.5m wide |
Moderate |
2 |
Moderate |
Naringa™
Westringia ‘WES01’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
1m high x 60cm pruned; 2.2m x 1.5m unpruned |
Fast |
3 |
Moderate |
Obsession™
Nandina domestica ‘SEIKA’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60-70cm high x 60-70cm wide |
Slow |
Every 2 yrs |
Low |
Ozbreed Aussie Box®
Westringia ‘WES02’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
40-60cm high x wide pruned
70-95cm high x wide unpruned |
Fast |
3 |
Moderate |
Pinnacle™
Syzygium australe ‘AATS’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Screen |
6-8m high x 1-1.5m wide |
Fast |
1 |
Low |
Red Alert™
Callistemon viminalis ‘KPS38’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60cm-2m high x 50cm-1.5m pruned; 2-2.4m high x 1.5-2m wide unpruned |
Moderate |
3 |
Moderate |
Red Head™
Acmena smithii ‘BWNRED’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
6m high x 2.5m wide |
Fast |
1 |
Low |
Scarlet Flame™
Callistemon viminalis ‘CC19’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Hedge |
60cm-1.5m high x 60cm-1m wide |
Moderate |
2 |
Moderate |
Slim™
Callistemon viminalis ‘CV01’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
3m high x 1.3m wide |
Fast |
2 |
Low |
Sublime™
Acmena smithii ‘DOW30’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
5m high x 2-3m wide |
Fast |
1 |
Low |
Sweeper™
Waterhousea floribunda ‘DOW20’ PBR
Screen or Hedge |
Height + Width |
Speed of Establishment |
Average # of Prunes per year |
Maintenance Levels |
Both |
10m high x 5-8m wide |
Fast |
Every 2 yrs |
Low |
You can also check out the all New Hedging and Screening website for more great information on selecting the right hedging or screening plants