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Fast Hedges for Privacy

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Can your neighbours see into your backyard? Or perhaps you have an ugly fence that you want to hide? Plant a hedge! Depending on your tastes, there are a variety of hedging plants to choose from, however, if you’re looking for a screen quick-smart, then you’ll need to look for faster growing plant types.


Plus, when ‘World Naked Garden Day’ rolls around (May 5 – mark it in your calendar, folks!), you’ll need to be prepared. Your neighbours may not be as fond of this day as you are, so help save them the embarrassment of seeing you completely starkers. We’ve got you ‘covered’.

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1. Sweet viburnum:

Aspect: Full sun/part shade 
Height: 3-4m 
Width: 3-4m

Incredibly fast growing, sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) has luscious dark green leaves that are adorned with fragrant white flowers during the warmer months. The dense, tightly packed foliage makes it ideal as a privacy screen. As a bonus, you can also use the foliage as a filler for an indoor cut flower display.

2. Slender Weavers bamboo:

Aspect: Full sun 
Height: 6-8m 
Width: 1-1.5m

Most people tend to shy away from bamboo, but choose the right type and you’ll be growing with a wonderful green screen. Looking for clumping types, like slender weavers bamboo (Bambusa textilis var. gracilis) – its slim-line culms will form an attractive living wall within a few years. Tip! Remove the lower stems and foliage to raise the ‘canopy’ for a more formal look.

3. Murraya

Aspect: Full sun 
Height: 2-3m 
Width: 1-1.5m

With its glossy green foliage and perfumed white flowers that appear at various times throughout the year (bonus!), murraya (Murraya paniculata) is a classic hedge that deserves a spot in your garden. It’s quite fast-growing, but you can keep it at its desired height with regular pruning.

4. Pittosporum ‘Silver Sheen’

Aspect: Full sun 
Height: 4-5m 
Width: 2-2.5m

Often referred to as an ‘instant hedge’, Pittosporum ‘Silver Sheen’ is a little different – it’s leaves are more silvery-green than your traditional options, and they’re also set against a backdrop of dark stems, making for a beautiful contrasting feature. Plus, it can tolerate coastal conditions and even shaded positions, too.

Top tips for hedges:

  • Take the time to improve your soil prior to planting. Remove weeds and add organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food.
  • If your soil is clay-based, help break it up with gypsum. If it’s heavy clay, consider mounding the soil.
  • Dig holes or a trench, roughly twice the width of the rootball and just a little deeper than the pot.
  • To ensure you have a dense hedge with no straggly gaps, you will need to plant close, but not too close! A good rule of thumb is to multiply the height of the plant by 0.3. For example, if your hedge is 1.5m high, then you should space them 45cm apart.
  • Once planted, lightly trim all over to encourage new growth. Regularly prune to encourage a dense, bushy habit.
  • Feed in autumn and spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food to encourage strong new growth.

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