How to Grow a Hedge or Screen

Find a spot in the garden that suits your plant's needs. Some plants will have different sun, soil and water requirements so check the How to Grow Guide to find the perfect spot.

Most hedging plants need fertile, moist and well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.

Rather than digging individual holes for each plant, dig a trench instead. This will help the plants to establish faster and thrive in the new soil.

Dig the trench twice as wide and at the same depth as the potted plants.

Improving the soil before planting will give the plants a great start. Mix in compost and Yates Dynamic Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

Space out all the potted plants where they are to be planted.

Starting at one end, position plant in the trench and backfill with enriched soil, gently firming down. Continue planting along the line. Once all plants have been planted, water them in well.

Apply a 5-8 cm layer of organic-based mulch, such as Wood Chip. YOu can water the mulch as well to help mulch settle.

Before heading to the nursery or garden centre, find out how much sun the area gets, check the soil type (e.g., is it clayey or rocky?), does the soil drain well, and how much space there is to plant in.

For formal hedges, choose plants that have small leaves such as Box Hedges, Lilly Pillies, and Duranta. This will grow a fuller hedge with less raw-cut leaf edges.

Large-leafed plants, such as Photinia and Viburnum, are great for semi-formal informal to hedges, and screens.

Fast-growing plants will give you a hedge or screen in less time but will end up needing more regular pruning and therefore more maintenance in the long run.

Make sure you get a hedge that is suited to your hedge height needs.

Avoid growing a plant that wants to grow much taller than what you are pruning it to. For example, for a hedge less than 0.5 m, it'd be best to plant something like a Box Hedge that naturally only grows 1 - 2 m.

Conversely, make sure you get something that grows big enough. For example, if you want to grow a hedge to 2 m, get plants that grow at least 1 m taller, so that it is nice and bushy when established.

There are limits to how narrow a plant can be hedged. For example, if you want to grow a 2 m hedge, you will need to let the plant grow about 1 m wide to keep a dense bushy habit.

If you want height, but narrow width, you'll need to grow something that naturally grows like that such as Pencil Pines, or Bamboo.

Some people love flowering hedges, especially showy Camellia flowers. But others don't - for aesthetic reasons or allergies to pollen or Bees.

Some flowers can be easily pruned off, but others can't.

Well-cared for plants are less likely to get pests and diseases, however, some are more susceptible than others. Make sure you are giving your plants everything they need (i.e., soil improvers, fertilisers, and watering) and choose plants that are pest-resistant, especially Lilly Pillies that are known to be attacked by Psyllids.

Have a think about what will suit your garden including style, leaf colour and shape, stem colour, and movement.

Lilly Pillies are fast-growing native plants with fluffy flowers that are followed by an edible berry. There are many different varieties and cultivars, most have brilliant coloured new growth.

There are dwarf such as 'Allyns Magic' that only grow up to 1 m, small-leafed such as Syzygium smithii, and tall growing Lilly Pillies, as well as weeping such 'Cascade' and Waterhouse floribunda.

Make sure you choose a Psyllid-resistant variety.

Bottlebrush are great for semi-formal to informal hedges and screens. They are fast-growing and respond well to a hard prune. Flowers come in array of colours. There are dwarf varieties such as 'Little John', tall growing, upright and weeping cultivars and varieties. Drought hardy when established with minimal pests and diseases.

Photinias are one of the fastest-growing hedging and screening plants, with some growing up to 2 m in one year. They have large leaves in shades of red, purple and bronze. Most are best for large hedges and screens, however, Photinia 'Red Robin' is a smaller growing variety up to 3 m.

Viburnums are fast-growing hedges with mostly green leaves, some have bronze new growth and glossy leaves. There are two main species used for hedging including: Viburnum tinus which has flowers in winter; and Viburnum odoratissimum (Sweet Viburnum) which has creamy white flowers in spring and summer - these flowers grow on the end of the stem and so can be pruned off easily if needed.

Murraya (Murraya paniculata) is moderately fast-growing and can be grown as a 1-2 m hedge. They have small glossy leaves that smell of citrus, and fragrant flowers in summer with spot flowering throughout the year.

Murraya 'Min a Min' have smaller leaves, are slow-growing, and can be grown as a small hedge up to 0.5 m tall.

Durantas are fast-growing hedging plants that are suitable for 1 - 1.5 m formal hedges. They come in a variety of leaf and flower colour.

Camellias are moderately fast-growing and are great for semi-formal to informal hedges. Ideal for part shade to full sun with protection from hot afternoon sun.

Box Hedges are slow-growing and great for small formal hedges. The most common varieties include English Box (Buxus sempervirens), Japanese Box (Buxus microphylla), and Korean Box (Buxus microphylla var. microphylla).

Escallonia ‘Hedge with an Edge’ (Escallonia exoniensis fradessii nana) are fast-growing and make great formal to semi-formal hedges up to about 1 m. They have small glossy green foliage.

They are summer flowering and come in an array of colours, including deep candy pink ‘Dark Pink’, musk pink ‘Appleblossom’ and crisp ‘White’. 

They are drought tolerant once established and will also grow in coastal conditions.

Conifers make great hedges, screens and windbreaks. Here are a few examples.

Bookleaf Conifer (Thuja occidentalis) slow-growing and great for a 1-1.5 m hedge. Leyland Cypress (X Cupressocyparis leylandii) are great for large hedges, screens, and windbreaks. Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) can be grown as a hedge, windbreak and tree - check the variety for specifics. Bhutan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa) is a moderately fast-growing screening plants up to 7m.

If you are planting a formal to semi-formal hedge, plant hedging plants a quarter to a third of their mature width. For example, if a plant's mature width is 1 metre, then plant every 0.25 to 0.35 cm apart, or, 3-4 per metre.

If you are planting a screen, plants screening plants so that they will eventually just touch. For example, if a plant's mature width is 1 metre, then plant every 0.75 - 1 m, or, 4 plants every 3-4 metres.

Tip prune while plants are young and until they have grown to the desired height. To tip prune, cut less than 5 cm off the new growth. Anywhere you tip prune should grow multiple stems where there was once only one. This will create a bushier hedge habit.

When pruning a hedge, prune so that the top is narrower than the base. That way the sun will be able to reach the hedge from top to bottom and prevent holes.

While the plants are establishing, you can use secateurs for tip pruning and light pruning. As the plants start to grow and mature, use hedge shears or a powered hedge trimmer.

Make sure your tools are clean and sharp to get the easiest and best cut. A smooth cut is better for the plant's health and looks better too.

You can prune anytime of year, however, avoid pruning in hot summer weather when plants are likely to stress from water loss.

Pruning in spring and early autumn is when plants will grow and recover best.

For flowering hedges, such as Camellias, prune soon after flowering.

Take care when pruning conifers as a hedge as these will only regrow from the 'leafy' growth. Do not cut into the woody parts of the plant as these will not reshoot. The best time to prune a conifer hedge is in autumn.

If you are growing Pencil Pines and want to keep the height under control, you can simply lop the top off.

The plant at the end of a hedge is usually the first to show signs of stress. The plant at the end of a hedge tends to get the least amount of water and nutrients and has more exposure to the wind and sun.

The best thing to do is water the plant on the end twice as much as the others and don't forget to feed it too.

If you have a long hedge, it's likely there are variations in light availability and soil conditions.

Until they are established, you will need to prune the fast-growers more than the slow-growers until they eventually all even out.

If there are nearby trees shading out sections of the hedge try pruning those to help improve light. And don't forget to feed the slow-growers.

This is probably due to a lack of light. Make sure you are pruning the hedge so that the top is narrower than the bottom.

Other causes for holes or gaps in a hedge include pests and diseases. Have a good look over the hedge and try to find some signs and symptoms of attack.