A green screen does the work of a fence and adds shelter, sound buffering and habitat in the process. Done well, it disappears into the garden rather than dominating it.
Five trees that earn their place as a natural screen in an Australian garden, with notes on spacing and the feature tree that finishes the look.
What a good screening tree gives you
Even growth from the ground up. Dense year round foliage. Predictable mature width so spacing holds. And enough toughness for the position, whether sun, wind or coastal salt.
Hill's Weeping Fig
The fast benchmark. Reaches screening height inside two seasons and clips to almost any height you want. Plant 1m apart for a dense screen, with vigorous roots easily managed through regular pruning.
Weeping Lilly Pilly
The native option. Cascading foliage, copper-pink new growth and a relaxed habit that suits Australian gardens. Space 1.2 to 1.5m apart and you have a screen with movement.
Orange Jasmine
For a smaller-scale screen with serious fragrance. Dense glossy foliage, white scented flowers in flushes and a tidy clipped form. Plant 60 to 80cm apart for a hedge.
Teddy Bear Magnolia
The premium narrow screen. Slow but reliable, upright form, glossy leaves and rust-coloured undersides. Plant 1.5m apart for a screen that looks the part year round.
Bay Tree
The formal clipped screen. Slow grower, holds a clean line for decades and gives you culinary leaves. Plant 60cm apart for a tight hedge.
Spacing and planting
For most screens, plant single line. Two staggered lines feel heavy and waste space. Dig a continuous trench rather than individual holes. Add compost, water in well and mulch out to the drip line.
Pairing the screen with a feature
A continuous screen wants a contrast at the focal points. Pair a Ficus Hillii screen with a Magnolia Coolwyn Gloss feature at the gate. Pair a Bay hedge with an Olea europaea for a Mediterranean entry. Pair a Murraya hedge with a Magnolia Little Gem feature for layered evergreen structure.
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