Hedges make excellent backyard plants

If your garden is exposed to the elements or to prying eyes, hedges are one of the easiest ways to create some privacy fast. There is a range of hedge plants that can be used - and most are easy to grow.

There's no better way to enjoy the sunny weather ahead than relaxing in your backyard. But while you're out there gardening or catching some rays, you don't need the prying eyes of passers-by intruding on your idyllic space. That's where some privacy-enhancing plants can help.

What backyard plant should I choose?

Various types of backyard plants are suitable for creating hedges that can serve as practical shields against onlookers, as well as the elements. Plants such as conifers are commonly used as windbreaks to protect the garden so that other plants can thrive.

"The Castwellan Gold conifer is easy to keep trimmed, but can reach heights of up to six metres, creating a thick hedge and windbreak," explains David Van Berkel of Garden Express. "It looks soft and golden, handling most climates well, but particularly the cooler ones in southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania."

Hedge plants

While hedge plants can be sculpted into weird and wonderful shapes, if you're not a dab hand with the shears, there are a few varieties that require only minimal maintenance. "Pittosporums are a light-looking hedge with small leaves and soft growth that are very easy to trim," says David.

Regular trimming will keep hedges in check, encouraging branches to spread across each other, rather than out. They generally require little fertiliser and after the initial year or so of nurturing, many varieties require little watering, making them ideal low-maintenance backyard plants.

"All hedges tend to live well on lower amounts of water once established, compared with single specimens in the garden," says David. "Their constant leaf cover provides shade for their roots, and prevents them drying out too quickly."

Lilly Pilly 

The ever-popular lilly pilly also works well as a backyard windbreak and is available in a range of sizes, the biggest growing to over five metres. It responds well to warmer climates, which makes it a favourite across the country.

Some Australian plants can create a screen-like effect, but not all grow extremely tall. "Some correas and grevilleas can be used for hedges, but these tend to only work within the one to two metre height range," David reveals.

There is plenty to explore in flowers and colours as well, when it comes to hedge plants, so you needn't settle for a wall of green. Photinias evolve into beautiful red plants with the onset of spring warmth, and the Japanese Camellia Sasanqua (a Don Burke favourite, says David) provides a lush screen with vibrantly coloured flowers.

To discuss which plants would be best for creating a hedge in your garden, visit a nursery in your area: