Help with planting tall hedge Victoria

MPN

Hi All,

I'm new to gardening. We have just settled on a house in Elsternwick (Bayside Victoria) with a deep West facing back yard. I am keen to plant trees down the South side - approx 15mt's to provide some privacy.

I am not looking for a hedge but to plant a species of tree that is:

- evergreen / not essential
- grows tall and straight
- with some body (not like pencil pine)
- will grow quickly (ideally 12-15ft within 5 years)
- drought resistant (ideally)
- will not negatively impact lawn

Any suggestions of trees that fit this broad criteria would be welcomed. I seem to be going around in circles with so many to choose from and lots of opinions. Even though they are deciduos, I am considering CAPITAL PEARS as they are the narrowest growing of all the ornamental pear trees.

Regards
MPN

Brent Ferris

Most trees don't stop at 15 feet, so if you are planning to keep it trimmed, it would make more sense to plant a shrub, that typically only grows to 15-20 ft.

Not familiar with shrub choice in Victoria, but Privet develops into a fairly thick hedge, and so can lilac. But both will take more than 5 years to get to 15 feet. Barberry can also be a great hedge - for privacy and stops people from cutting thru, seldom grows to more than 12 feet in Ontario.

I presume Capital Pears do not bear edible fruit? I generally tell my clients to decide what height they want their trees/hedge/shrubs to grow to, what kind of fruit they can tolerate, and how much work they want to devote to keeping their planting at the ideal height -- this info sometimes helps them choose appropriate material.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

derwoodii

Consider Hymenosporum flavum Native frangipani in Melbourne conditions may grow to 10m in say 10 years. If in a side fence position seems to grow more upright as wel.l Hymenosporum flavum

Or Laurus nobilis Bay leaf tree again not so big here has dark green leaves nice to have in a medium screen. Laurus nobilis Greek Bay

TrevMcRev

Yep, Native Franga is a great little tree, under-used in my opinion.

Put one in my own front yard about 18 months ago and doing really well

Bowani Siam

H. flavum is a beautiful tree and definitely not used enough, however I have noticed that it thins out a lot in dryer, cooler weather (in Sydney and surrounds anyway). Not great for privacy, if this is a priority, but bloody charming all spring. The dwarf form (Gold Nugget) is awesome as an underplanting for screen trees and holds the foliage well.

Stenocarpus sinuatus, Banksia integrifolia, Elaeocarpus reticulatus are also dense native narrow screen trees.

As for exotics, if you haven't already been here.....
Fleming's Nurseries - Trees for Narrow Spaces


Is it 15 metres or 15 feet you want for a final height?

derwoodii

Yes all good choice here. Sadly if I see another Capital pear landscape planting in Melb sub I wont know to spit, swear or go blind. They are over done time to find a new garden fad please. 1980 was Alnus j 1990 was James Stirling pitto 2000+ was Lilly pillys and now Capital pears urg they are nice but now so many like weeds.

derwoodii

Sos last had to vent.
Positive thought try fruit trees nuts pepper apples olives avocados mix em up 3 to 5 years ya can get ya lunch from the back yard. A down side possums will give you grief if they are around, if not an idea to try. Theres a web site in OZ that sells native fruit and other species over the mail. google DALEYS fruit tree nursery

Ah here another fav small fence line shrub Tasmannia lanceolata - native or mountain pepper look it up.

jmcg.insight.gardens

good choices all of them, but privet is sadly a major weed here in Oz.

Love Elaeocarpus reticulatis, there is a pink form too.

Native Frangipani, Hymenosporum flavum is one of my favourites, but does little to screen as it grows tall and lanky, but is great if you want a lawn under it.

Some of the Acmena's might be worth considering too. Some varieties grow to about that height.

Brent Ferris

Any plant or tree can be a weed -- a weed is merely a plant that is not wanted or growing in the wrong place. A nearly extinct tree growing in the middle of a driveway is still considered a weed. So why not plant Privet, and just contain it., I expect the other suggestions are far better.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

jmcg.insight.gardens

Good point Brent,

I should have specified environmental weed, the problem with privet is that it can not be contained if it's let seed, our Australian birds love the seeds, which they then spread by poop through all our native forests, some creek lines here are nothing but privet.

The species thrives in our climate, but it does make a good hedge, tightly clipped so that it does not seed, that would contain it, but that would be a few clips per year here.

I actually like some weed species, usually the most dynamic plants become weeds, I suppose I'm a bit one-eyed when it comes to weeds, I run Landcare here in our town, which is all about containing and removal of weeds from our forests and habitats. Privet is one of our bigger problems, as well as Lantana camara.

Darrell Mcleod

Waterhousia floribunda

Bowani Siam

hahahaha if only you had the climate you could put in the Polyalthia longifolia var pendula

hahahahahaha!!


Waterhousea is a cool tree too..

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Brent Ferris

Privet here grows well, and is unaffected by the cold, except it only grows May thru October. It only flowers late May early June, unless an unusually warm fall after a frosty night in August prompts some sporadic flowering. I wouldn't expect privet in Oz would flower more often -- or does it?
How much our hedges get clipped depends on who's doing it. The homeowners usually trim every 3-4 weeks; the grass cutters every 4-6 weeks; a professional trim 1 or maybe 2x per year,
However, as I recall the berries are a great cardiovascular aid -- perhaps Oz has a bonanza growing that can be harvested and marketed, and have its status raised to valuable from environmental weed.
If some of the creeks are lined with privet, doesn't that tend to keep people on the creeks, instead of crashing thru the forests and destroying native plants? But then Aussies are prob more considerate of the environment and its denizens,

I was really surprised to read that Lantana is considered a weed. Valuable weed here in the nurseries.

A company that controls and eradicates weeds -- that would either encourage you to destroy everything, or see the good in as much as possible, Seems to me Julie, you're the latter. Herbal pest managment.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

jmcg.insight.gardens

I wish Brent, last Landcare day we removed a weighed quarter of a tonne of rubbish, a lot of it from an adjacent mangrove complex, what people are doing in Mangrove with all the mosquitoes is beyond me, kids getting away from their parents I suppose. We picked up some coins that were 30 years old.

I try to see the good in as much as possible. Lantana is a weed here, but it also has proven a life saver as habitat for small birds, they hide in it and it increases their range as they are protected from the large birds and feral cats. But the idea is to try to keep some areas that are native bushland as original as possible, to protect biodiversity. We have surprisingly fragile vegetation communities here, easily wiped out by bad weed infestations. I'm sure your country has it's own invasive weed issues.

Bush Regenerators work contract here, monies good. Lots of regulations such as the Pesticides Act to adhere to and various other Acts, best stick to them to stay in work and stay reputable.

We use Roundup Biactive where appropriate.

Herbal recipes? Never heard of any really, apart from lawn weed issues like lime for clover..

jmcg.insight.gardens

What an unusual tree.