Top 6 Hedging Trees for Possum-Prone Gardens

1. Cupressus leylandii 'Better Green' (Better Green Leyland)

'Better Green' is a fast-growing conifer with soft, fine, mid-green foliage and a tighter formal habit than 'Leighton Green'. Conifers are very rarely browsed by possums for three reasons: the needles are too fine to grip and chew, they contain resinous oils possums find unpalatable, and they have low water content compared to leafy alternatives. In suburbs with heavy possum pressure where lilly pillies and ficus have been stripped bare, conifer hedges typically stay untouched year after year. Dense year-round screening, no berries, no flowers, low maintenance once shape is set.

Type

Evergreen hedging conifer

Height

5 to 10 m

Width

2 to 3 m

Growth rate

Fast

Foliage

Soft dense mid-green

Form

Columnar

Conditions

Full sun, frost tolerant

Maintenance

Low, can be pruned to desired height

Best for

Possum-prone gardens needing fast tall privacy.

A possum's least favourite hedge.

2. Laurus nobilis 'Miles Choice' (Miles Choice Bay Tree)

'Miles Choice' is an improved Bay Tree selection chosen for its denser habit and consistent dark green foliage compared to the standard Bay. Bay leaves are packed with aromatic essential oils - eucalyptol, linalool, and pinene - that have a strong, bitter taste possums consistently reject. This is not just observational: possums actively skip Bay even when other foliage in the garden has been browsed bare. Bay holds density and formal shape under heavy possum pressure where softer-leaved hedges fail. The same leaves are the culinary bay used in cooking.

Type

Evergreen hedging tree

Height

3 to 6 m

Width

1.5 to 3 m

Growth rate

Slow to moderate

Foliage

Aromatic dark green

Form

Upright dense

Conditions

Full sun to part shade, frost tolerant

Maintenance

Low, can be pruned to desired height

Best for

Possum-resistant formal hedges and topiary in classic Australian gardens.

Aromatic, formal and possum-deflecting.

3. Murraya paniculata (Orange Jasmine)

Murraya paniculata (Orange Jasmine) is a citrus-family evergreen with glossy aromatic dark green foliage and fragrant white flowers in flushes through the warmer months. Like its citrus relatives, Murraya leaves carry essential oils that taste sharply bitter to possums - they will nibble once, dislike it, and move on to easier targets. The waxy leaf coating also makes the foliage harder to grip and chew. Murraya holds full density even where neighbouring lilly pillies get stripped, with the bonus of jasmine-scented flowers through the warmer months.

Type

Evergreen hedging shrub

Height

2 to 4 m

Width

1.5 to 2 m

Growth rate

Moderate

Foliage

Glossy dark green aromatic

Flowers

Fragrant white blooms multiple times a year

Form

Dense rounded

Conditions

Full sun to part shade, warm climates

Maintenance

Low, can be pruned to desired height

Best for

Possum-prone gardens in warmer climates needing fragrant screening.

Fragrant, dense, possum-resistant.

4. Olea europaea (Olive)

Olive is a tough Mediterranean evergreen with small silver-grey leaves coated in protective oils and waxes. The same compounds that give olive oil its characteristic bitter pungency (oleocanthal and oleuropein) make the leaves deeply unappealing to possums. The leaves are also physically tough - leathery, waxy, and low in moisture - so even when food is scarce, possums consistently choose other plants over Olive. Works either as an informal feature tree or as a clipped hedge in possum-prone gardens, with the bonus of drought tolerance once established.

Type

Evergreen feature and screening tree

Height

3 to 8 m

Width

2 to 4 m

Growth rate

Moderate

Foliage

Silver-grey leathery foliage

Form

Open rounded

Conditions

Full sun, drought tolerant once established

Maintenance

Low, can be pruned to desired height

Best for

Possum-prone Mediterranean-style gardens and informal screens.

Silver-grey, drought-proof and untouched by possums.

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

Magnolia 'Teddy Bear' is a compact selection of the southern magnolia bred for smaller gardens. It works in possum-prone areas because the leaves are thick, leathery, waxy, and low in moisture - low-value food that possums almost never browse. The bronze-backed glossy green foliage holds dense colour year-round even where neighbouring lilly pillies and ficus have been stripped bare. Compact enough to clip as a formal hedge, or grown unclipped as a feature tree with summer cream-white flowers.

Type

Evergreen hedging or feature tree

Height

4 to 6m (can be pruned to desired height)

Width

2 to 3m

Foliage

Thick glossy green with bronze undersides

Flowers

Large fragrant cream-white blooms in summer

Form

Compact upright, clippable as hedge or grown as feature

Best for

Possum-prone gardens wanting either a compact feature tree or a tall formal evergreen hedge with summer flowers.

6. Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Green Pillar' (Green Pillar Pittosporum)

'Green Pillar' is a naturally narrow columnar Pittosporum with small, dense, aromatic green foliage. Pittosporum leaves carry pittosporin and related saponins that possums find unappealing - similar in effect to how citrus aromatics deter them. The small leaf size also makes the foliage low-reward to chew through, so possums quickly move on to easier targets. Combined with the slim columnar form (under 1m wide), 'Green Pillar' solves both possum problems and tight-space problems in one plant.

Type

Evergreen hedging shrub

Height

3 to 4 m

Width

0.8 to 1 m

Growth rate

Moderate

Foliage

Small dense glossy green

Form

Naturally columnar

Conditions

Full sun to part shade, frost tolerant

Maintenance

Low, can be pruned to desired height

Best for

Narrow possum-prone garden beds and side returns.

The slim possum-proof column.