Best Plants for hedge!!

[some_one]

Hi All, I am trying to establish what would be a good species of Native or otherwise plants, bush, for making a hedge in the front of my house. It should be less water dependent, about 1.5-2m High in Growth, and about 1meter or less in width and if it is quick growing it will be a bonus but there may be species that are slow growing and so need less maintenance.
Please Suggest.

Cheers.:)

[Doughboy]

Native hedges..... you can use a dwarf type of callistemon. Some of the westringas can be used if you are willing to give it something to climb on. You could use grevillias and keep them trimmed to the required height.

Pretty much anything can be hedged as far as I know, just takes perseverance to get the desired effect.

Pete

[DavidG]

Screens (http://www.hellohello.com.au/screens.html)

[bsrlee]

Depends on wether you want to keep people & animals out or just block the view. Some roses are suitable, such as the briar and climbing types - 'Japanese rose' is supposed to be better than barbed wire.

Bogainvillea is also pretty good if you water & fertilize it a lot - gets spikes in the 2" range then instead of 1" & it has nice flowers too. Seems it flowers more when not watered etc. but when things are good it wants it ALL.

These all would require some sort of support, at least to start with.

[Sprog]

Lilly Pillys are great for hedges, Bush Christmas is nice, around 2m high, responds well to trimming.


http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1484699.htm

[JBT]

Mock Orange (small white flowers) and Geisha Girl (Duranta purple flowers) are great and easily pruned. New Zealand Xmas bush goes well too with red bottle brush type flowers.

[pharmaboy2]

someone - think local;

local nursey, or garner some help from a friend who is into gardening a bit - with friend drive around the immediate suburb and get the names of everything that looks good. In my area acmena smithii and Muraya do really well, but I get no frost and am 1000km north of you so it helps not at all - that which is popular is almost always a good bet with plants because the bad choices die.

PS avoid stuff that turns into trees (cyprusses for eg), because if you find you cant be bothered to hedge for a year then its a big time headache!

[maxmas]

A quick hedge can be achieved from Muraya or lily pilly. I have Muraya and they have a lovely white flower and the lily pily young leaves are a different colour to the old leaves, I have had in the past young leaves in red and they look great but you also get berrys which to my understanding are not good to eat. The trick to any good hedge is, trim often, trim little! Never let them go for a long period of time of they get very thin underneath. Good luck
Mark

[some_one]

Thanks guys I feel it is important to mention that we have Clay soil type. From the web sites Box leaved Privet is one name to be seen. Anyone have this type of hedge. Also as I mentioned will this last with little water once established.??:?

[Shannon]

might be a bit late,i hope not. I couldn't find anything on box leaf, but if it is the same as or similar to broad leaf, then I know in the blue mountains, and I am sure a lot of other places, privet is classified as a noxious weed.
Might want to check it out first.

I agree with Lilly pilli I am about to embark on that, but I am also going to use photinias behind them to give me a nice contrast (and a bit more height)

[SilentButDeadly]

I'll put in a vote for Old Man Saltbush, a native, as one of the ultimate hedging plants. It will grow anywhere lavender does, copes with heavy soils, grows like topsy especially with a bit of water, needs no supplemental watering though as it is adapted to semi-arid conditions, reponds really well to pruning and shaping, will grow as high and wide as 3 metres if you let it, not prickly, the tips are edible, the prunings make great mulch, livestock (chooks, rabbits and sheep) love it.

[TARLOX]

Lilly Pilly - use variety Acmene Smithii

We planted 10 of these along a fence line and they have grown 2 metres in 2 years.

They look great and are natives.

[Feralbilly]

We have just put in 24 Acmena Smithii for a hedge. We put them in 1 metre apart on advice from the nursery, but they look awful lonely. I am wondering if 1 metre is too far apart for a good hedge.
Bill

[Grunt]

You could try Osage Orange. Great hedge plant. The wood is really hard, stable and resists rot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

You could try Osage Orange. Great hedge plant. The wood is really hard, stable and resists rot.

Be warned: it's prone to infestations of wood-turners when it needs to be pruned. A potentially pernicious pest, esp. the variety that comes with chainsaw attached.

[Gra]

Be warned: it's prone to infestations of wood-turners when it needs to be pruned. A potentially pernicious pest, esp. the variety that comes with chainsaw attached.

Skew, put that chainsaw down, you know it scares the neighbors...:D:D

[Grunt]

I was doing a bit of research and came across Chilean Guava. (http://www.edible.co.nz/varieties/chileanguava.htm)

Great hedge plant that produces fruit. I like having plants that have more than one use.

Chris

[Kristy Ingram]

I agree with the Duranta or Mock Orange if you can get them to grow where you are, mock orange has the most amazing fragrent flowers. I see the Duranta all over town here in hedge form, very popular. On the other hand if you can find a suitable native they are probably the better bet as they may be the most water hardy and resilient to pests. May also attract alot more birds.

Kristy

[cyco]

got a year old Magnolia Little Gem hedge going that shot up about a metre great looking plant with a nice flower, take the tops out to encourage them thickening up.