Low hedging defines a garden without blocking it. These shrubs hold between half a metre and two metres, which is the range that edges a path, frames a bed or separates a space without closing off the view.

Buxus remains the standard for a crisp clipped line. Rhaphiolepis, Westringia and Pittosporum 'Miss Muffet' give a softer result with far less trimming, and several hold a tidy shape with no clipping at all.

Spacing of sixty centimetres to one metre suits most of this range. Closer planting fills in faster but will need thinning within a few years.