Selection of plant species and notes on hedges - Richard Clark
This list of hedge plant species is restricted to local plants included in Busselton and Surrounds (origin). I have excluded large woody species which can be used for informal hedges and screens - Callistachys lanceolata, Spyridium globulosum, Acacia saligna, Callitris preissii, Melaleuca viminea and lanceolata, Allocasuarina humilis and Banksia sessilis, etc. - but they are included in the longer list of Western Australian species.
At the bottom of the page, this list can be downloaded as a pdf. Two other lists are there for download:
- a list which includes WA species from outside the Busselton and Surrounds region
- a list which includes any Australian species
[Here, I have excluded Australian plants included in many hedging plant lists because they have proved weedy species in Western Australia - they include Acacia iteaphylla, Acacia longifolia, and Leptospermum laevigatum.]
It takes a bit of courage to plan and plant a hedge, mainly because growing a hedge can be a long process. Usually, hedges are planted with just one species.
Dependable species in the short list of local plant species include
- Billardiera fusiformis
- Melaleuca incana
- Gastrolobium biloba
- Olearia axillaris
- Kunzea ciliata
- Kunzea baxteri
- Beaufortia squarrosa
- Dodonaea aptera
- Templetonia retusa
- Regelia ciliata
Assuming that the hedge will be planted with several staggered rows, a planting scheme might look like this
rather than a single row
Guidelines for planting and cultivation using Dry Gardening principles.
[Dryland Gardening means that after establishment, you do not intend to water the plants. These days, we usually water the plants in their first summer after a winter planting.]
- If you have chosen a species that will tolerate your soil, there is no real need to amend the soil in any way.
- Once the plants start to grow in their first summer, prune the tops of the plants lightly. It is best NOT to prune anything else, as you want to encourage as much dense growth at the bottom of the plant as possible.
Continue pruning the tops as the plants grow - hopefully they will be the same height.
The plants will tell you when a light pruning on the sides maybe necessary. The hedge should be wider at the bottom than at the top, so you will achieve a tappering look.
If you have chosen species with attractive flowers, once flowering starts, prune lightly AFTER flowering.
Download lists pdf
HEDGES 1 - BUSSELTON AND SURROUNDS
HEDGES 2 - BUSSELTON AND SURROUNDS AND GREATER WA
HEDGES 3 - BUSSELTON AND SURROUNDS, GREATER WA, AND GREATER AUSTRALIA