Small Hedges – Low growing Hedging Plants for the Garden
Small hedges of the lower growing type can actually use a wide range of plants, however plants that are naturally smaller in growth habit are the best choice. They will be easier to maintain and require less major pruning than naturally larger plants that can tend to be a little woody after a few years and lose their appeal.
Where are low growing and smaller hedging plants used ? As garden borders to provide delineation between garden and paths is a great place for some of the small hedging plants. They can act as a barrier, visual connection or be an integral part of landscape design.
And of course we have australian native plants that make excellent formal and ind informal low growing hedges including the smaller cultivars of acacia cognata (picture right)
So what naturally smaller growing plants are suited to hedging? You can look ar ‘dwarf’ cultivars such as the Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’, or the Acaia cognata cultivars inculding ‘little con’ and others.
Or you can opt for naturally smaller plants such as Rosmary and Lavender. The other option is to go for plants that take kindly to pruning such as Buxus. We provide a list of some of the smaller growing plants suited to hedging.
List of Low Growing Hedging Plants
- Rosemary. Easy to prune, natuarally low growing, fragrant, evergreen and a nice thick foliage, very few pests and drought tolerant once established.
- Lavender. Same as above except with nicer flowers, Lanender has been used as hedging plant in cottage gardens for many years.
- Buxus. The one we all think of, not as natuarally low growing as some, however this is the classic small hedging plant
- Pittosporum Golf Ball. One of the smaller cultivars that will reach around 1m.
- Acacia cognata. An Australian native with lovely weeping green foliage, some cultivars such as ‘little con’ and ‘lime magic’ are well under 1m.
- Abelia x grandiflora ‘ Nana’
- Escallonia Apple Blossom
- Euonymus Gold Thumb
- Diosma
- Westringia fruticosa. Another Australian native ‘coastal rosemary’ and this is one tough plant. Remember those 45 degree days, well ours got badly burnt, but 1 year latter and its back to normal.
- Murraya paniculata (orange jessamine)
- Nandina ‘Nana’ Dwarf Sacred Bamboo
- Plumbago capansis (cape plumbago)
- Syzyguim (Bush Christmas). Dwarf Lilly Pillies mach a great small hedging plant