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Our Top 6 Hedging Plant Recommendations: The Most Functional Picks

Our Top 6 Hedging Plant Recommendations: The Most Functional Picks

Our top recommended hedging plants for Australian gardens, with practical notes on speed, height, climate and how to choose.
EvergreenHedgingLow MaintenancePrivacy TreesRecommendations

A hedge is the most useful planting decision in a garden. It creates a natural fenceline, stops peeking neighbours, softens noise, and frames the rest of the planting. The right hedge holds its density year round, takes shaping cleanly, and quietly carries the design.

The six hedging plants below are the most functional ones we sell — the workhorses customers buy by the hundreds for real screening jobs. They cover the full range: fast tall formal screens, soft tall natives, dense psyllid-resistant Lilly Pilly, compact suburban picks, dense flowering feature hedges, and the classic colour hedge for cool climates.

  • Ficus hillii — the fast tall formal workhorse. Glossy dark foliage, fast establishment, and the cleanest knife-edge formal face of any hedge in the range.
  • Waterhousea floribunda — the soft tall native. Pendulous foliage that moves in the breeze, dense fine leaves and pink-bronze new growth.
  • Syzygium 'Resilience' — the psyllid-resistant Lilly Pilly bred for hedging. Tidy dense growth, copper-bronze new growth, holds a clipped face cleanly.
  • Syzygium 'Backyard Bliss' — the compact native default. Tidy 1.5 to 2m width, glossy small leaves, strong psyllid resistance — the easiest Lilly Pilly to live with on a tight block.
  • Magnolia 'Teddy Bear' — the dense flowering feature hedge. Plush brown-backed foliage and large fragrant cream summer flowers on a tight pyramidal frame.
  • Photinia robusta — the classic red-tip hedge. Glossy mid-green with vivid red-bronze new growth that lights up cool-season gardens.

How to choose a functional hedging plant

Match the hedge to the role
Fast tall formal: Ficus hillii. Soft tall native: Waterhousea. Dense modern native: Resilience. Compact suburban native: Backyard Bliss. Dense flowering feature hedge: Teddy Bear. Classic colour hedge: Photinia.
Height matters first
Ficus hillii and Waterhousea handle tall — 5 to 10m. Teddy Bear and Resilience hold 3 to 5m comfortably. Backyard Bliss tops out around 4m. Photinia sits at 3 to 5m — mid-height.
Climate fit
Tropical and humid coastal: Waterhousea, Resilience, Backyard Bliss, Ficus hillii. Warm temperate: every species on this list. Cool to cold: Photinia, Teddy Bear, Resilience. Photinia is the strongest cold-climate pick.
Native or introduced
Waterhousea, Resilience and Backyard Bliss are the Australian native picks. Ficus hillii, Teddy Bear and Photinia are introduced species long established in Australian gardens — each chosen for a look the natives don't quite cover.
Speed of establishment
Ficus hillii, Waterhousea, Resilience, Backyard Bliss and Photinia establish fast — full screen inside two seasons in good soil with consistent water. Teddy Bear is slower and steadier.
Maintenance you can keep up with
Teddy Bear is once or twice a year. Resilience, Backyard Bliss, Waterhousea and Photinia want two prunes a year. Ficus hillii rewards two to three light prunes a year for the cleanest formal face.
Ficus microcarpa var. hillii

1. Ficus microcarpa var. hillii (Ficus Hillii)

Ficus Hillii is the workhorse hedge for warm climate gardens. Glossy emerald foliage, dense growth, fast establishment, and a forgiving nature in sun or part shade. It just gets on with the job.

Type
Evergreen screening hedge
Height
3 to 9m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
3 to 4m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy dark green oval leaves
Form
Upright, dense
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Drought tolerant once established
Maintenance
Trim two to three times a year for a formal hedge
Best for
Formal hedges, tall screens, boundary walls of green

Why choose it

For buyers who want speed, density and a deep glossy green wall. The classic for a reason.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with an Acer palmatum as a sheltered courtyard feature in front of the dense green hedge, Japanese Box Topiary Balls for sculptural punctuation, and Star Jasmine as a fragrant groundcover.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for a dense formal hedge. Tip prune early to build a dense base. Two to three light prunes a year keeps the formal face clean.

The hedge that earns its reputation.

Shop Ficus microcarpa var. hillii
Waterhousea floribunda

2. Waterhousea floribunda (Weeping Lilly Pilly)

Waterhousea is the soft, weeping native that creates a tall green wall without looking rigid. New growth flushes bronze through warm months, and the dense foliage holds privacy without feeling boxy.

Type
Native screening hedge
Height
4 to 8m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
3 to 5m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy green narrow leaves, bronze new growth
Form
Dense, weeping habit
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Prefers consistent soil moisture
Maintenance
Trim once or twice a year for a formal hedge. Mulch and water in dry spells
Best for
Tall privacy screens, boundaries, poolside planting

Why choose it

Our pick when buyers want a tall native hedge that still looks soft. Less stiff than Ficus, less bare than conifers.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with an Acer palmatum as a sheltered feature in front, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base for sculptural punctuation, and Gardenia 'Magnifica' as a fragrant midstorey.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for an instant hedge. Water deeply through the first summer to establish. Two light prunes a year keeps the weeping habit tidy.

The soft, native answer to a tall hedge.

Shop Waterhousea floribunda
Syzygium australe 'Resilience'

3. Syzygium australe 'Resilience' (Resilience Lilly Pilly)

Resilience was bred for one specific reason. It shrugs off psyllids that ruin the look of older Lilly Pilly varieties. Glossy green foliage, copper new growth, dense from the base.

Type
Native screening hedge
Height
3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
2 to 3m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy green leaves with copper-bronze new growth
Form
Upright, dense
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Hardy across most Australian climates
Maintenance
Light trim two to three times a year. Mulch and water deeply through dry spells
Best for
Privacy hedges, screens, boundary planting

Why choose it

The psyllid resistance is the reason. It stays clean and looks good while older Lilly Pilly cultivars show pimpled, distorted leaves.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with an Olea 'Manzanillo' feature olive for a silver and green Mediterranean-meets-Australian look, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base for sculptural punctuation.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for a dense hedge. Trim straight after each flush to build dense growth from the base up.

The Lilly Pilly that stays the version you bought.

Shop Syzygium australe 'Resilience'
Syzygium paniculatum 'Backyard Bliss'

4. Syzygium paniculatum 'Backyard Bliss' (Backyard Bliss Lilly Pilly)

Syzygium 'Backyard Bliss' is the compact psyllid-resistant Lilly Pilly bred for suburban backyards. Tidy 1.5 to 2m width, glossy small leaves dense from the base, and the strong psyllid resistance that keeps the leaves pristine across the whole hedge.

Type
Compact psyllid-resistant native hedge
Height
3 to 4m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
1.5 to 2m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, small glossy dark green leaves with copper-bronze new growth
Flowers
Cream fluffy summer flowers followed by pink edible berries
Form
Compact dense from the base
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Light frost tolerant once established
Maintenance
Two to three light trims a year. Mulch annually
Best for
Compact pool and courtyard hedges, suburban boundaries, family backyards

Why choose it

The tidy compact width and dense glossy foliage are why. Backyard Bliss holds a clean clipped face on a smaller footprint than any other native hedge, takes shaping cleanly, and stays clean year round thanks to the psyllid resistance.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a single Magnolia 'Little Gem' as a polished feature out in front, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base, and Star Jasmine as a fragrant groundcover.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for a fast-forming dense hedge. Mulch deeply to keep roots cool. Trim straight after each flush.

The compact native hedge for suburban backyards.

Shop Syzygium paniculatum 'Backyard Bliss'
Magnolia grandiflora 'Teddy Bear'

5. Magnolia grandiflora 'Teddy Bear' (Teddy Bear Magnolia)

Magnolia 'Teddy Bear' is the dense flowering hedge with ground-up coverage. Plush brown-backed glossy foliage on a tight pyramidal frame and large fragrant cream summer flowers. The feature hedge — dense privacy plus seasonal flowering on a single plant.

Type
Dense evergreen flowering hedge
Height
3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
1.5 to 2.5m
Growth rate
Slow to moderate
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy dark green with deep velvety brown undersides
Flowers
Large fragrant cream flowers in late spring and summer
Form
Tight upright pyramidal, dense from the base
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Well-drained slightly acidic soil. Frost tolerant
Maintenance
Low. Light shaping prune in late winter
Best for
Dense formal flowering hedges with feature presence, courtyards, formal screens

Why choose it

A hedge that reads as a feature. The plush tactile foliage stays dense from the ground, the brown undersides give it warmth other Magnolias don't have, and the large summer flowers earn the hedge a second look every year.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a single Magnolia 'Little Gem' as a polished feature in matching tone, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base, and Star Jasmine as a fragrant groundcover.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for a dense formal hedge. Light shaping prune in late winter is enough. Mulch heavily to keep roots cool.

The dense formal hedge with feature presence built in.

Shop Magnolia grandiflora 'Teddy Bear'
Photinia robusta

6. Photinia robusta (Red-Tip Photinia)

Photinia robusta is the classic red-tip hedge. Glossy mid-green foliage carries vivid red-bronze new growth that lights up cool-season gardens. Tough, fast and the most colour you can ask of a green hedge — a feature hedge for boundaries that want more than green.

Type
Classic colour hedge
Height
3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height
Width
2 to 3m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy mid-green with vivid red-bronze new growth
Flowers
Small white spring flowers
Form
Upright dense
Conditions
Full sun to part shade. Frost and cold tolerant. Most soils
Maintenance
Two to three light prunes a year keep the red flushes coming
Best for
Cool-climate dense colourful hedges, screens with seasonal interest, formal boundaries

Why choose it

Bright seasonal colour from the new growth flush, on a hedge that takes clipping cleanly and handles cool to cold conditions where many evergreens slow down. A reliable workhorse that brings winter and spring colour to the boundary.

Perfect pair

Layers beautifully with a Magnolia 'Coolwyn Gloss' as a polished evergreen feature, Japanese Box Topiary Balls at the base, and Westringia fruticosa as a low silver underplanting.

Tips for planting

Plant at 1m spacing for a dense hedge. A spring trim brings the red-bronze flush forward. Cool-climate gardens get the strongest colour.

The classic colour hedge. Bright tough and reliable.

Shop Photinia robusta

Compare at a glance

CultivarHeightWidthFormFoliageBest if you…
Ficus microcarpa var. hillii
Ficus Hillii 		3 to 9m, can be pruned to desired height3 to 4mUpright, denseEvergreen, glossy dark green oval leavesFormal hedges, tall screens, boundary walls of green
Waterhousea floribunda
Weeping Lilly Pilly 		4 to 8m, can be pruned to desired height3 to 5mDense, weeping habitEvergreen, glossy green narrow leaves, bronze new growthTall privacy screens, boundaries, poolside planting
Syzygium australe 'Resilience'
Resilience Lilly Pilly 		3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height2 to 3mUpright, denseEvergreen, glossy green leaves with copper-bronze new growthPrivacy hedges, screens, boundary planting
Syzygium paniculatum 'Backyard Bliss'
Backyard Bliss Lilly Pilly 		3 to 4m, can be pruned to desired height1.5 to 2mCompact dense from the baseEvergreen, small glossy dark green leaves with copper-bronze new growthCompact pool and courtyard hedges, suburban boundaries, family backyards
Magnolia grandiflora 'Teddy Bear'
Teddy Bear Magnolia 		3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height1.5 to 2.5mTight upright pyramidal, dense from the baseEvergreen, glossy dark green with deep velvety brown undersidesDense formal flowering hedges with feature presence, courtyards, formal screens
Photinia robusta
Red-Tip Photinia 		3 to 5m, can be pruned to desired height2 to 3mUpright denseEvergreen, glossy mid-green with vivid red-bronze new growthCool-climate dense colourful hedges, screens with seasonal interest, formal boundaries

How to plant and care for them

Pick the position
Most hedging plants want full sun. Waterhousea, Resilience and Murraya tolerate part shade. Run the hedge line where the home most needs the screen.
Prepare the planting trench
Dig a trench (not individual holes) along the hedge line, twice the width of the rootball and the same depth. Mix the original soil with aged compost rather than replacing it.
Plant at 1m spacing
Use 1m spacing for a dense hedging face, every species on this list. Closer spacing crowds the root zone; wider spacing leaves gaps that don't fill in. Plant level — the top of the rootball sits level with surrounding soil, never deeper.
Water in deeply at planting
Soak each rootball thoroughly so the new soil settles around the roots. Top up the watering well twice in the first day if the soil drinks fast.
Mulch out to the row
Lay 75 to 100mm of organic mulch the full length of the hedge, 50mm clear of each trunk. Mulch keeps roots cool, holds moisture and feeds the soil as it breaks down.
Tip prune in the first season
Tip prune the new growth in the first season to encourage branching low and create a dense base. Two light tip prunes are better than one hard cut.
Water deeply through the first two summers
Twice a week deep watering in warm weather, once a week in mild weather, through the first two summers. After establishment all six species hold their own on rainfall plus the occasional deep soak.

The wrap up

The six functional picks cover every common hedging brief. Ficus hillii leads the fast tall formal. Waterhousea is the soft tall native. Resilience and Backyard Bliss are the dense native modern picks. Teddy Bear carries the dense flowering feature hedge. Photinia is the classic colour pick for cool climates.

Whichever species you choose, plant at 1m spacing, water deeply through the first two summers, and trim straight after each flush for the cleanest face. Pair the hedge with a feature tree out in front and the garden reads as designed, not catalogue.

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Comments

  • Maria CarterNovember 6, 2022

    I know that Leighton Greens can be used as a hedge but can you grow them in front of a timber retaining wall 3 meters high, how close together and how far away from the wall would you have to plant them to make a hedge which covers the wall. Would they still grow there maximum width which would be 3m and what would happen to the back of the tree near the wall would it die off in time, the face of the wall is an arc shape facing north 👆to westerly👈 Is there a different variety ☝️which is narrower so it does not have to be planted so far out from the wall🙌🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲and closer together with the same growth rate🌲🤦🏻‍♀️ Can you help

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