The most common hedging failure is a screen that thins out at the bottom, leaving a gap exactly where privacy is needed. The species here branch densely from ground level and hold that density as they mature.

Acmena and Syzygium lilly pillies, Photinia, Pittosporum and Viburnum all fill in reliably. Acmena varieties have the added advantage of natural psyllid resistance, which matters on long hedge runs where spraying is impractical.

Density is built by trimming, not by waiting. Light trims two to three times through the growing season will produce a far tighter hedge than leaving plants to grow and cutting hard once a year.