Whether you’re after privacy, wind protection, a lush green backdrop or just a bit of kerb appeal, a well-chosen hedge can be a garden’s best friend. From compact borders to towering screens, the right plant can define your space while adding structure, beauty and even fragrance.
Here are 12 of the best hedge plants in Australian gardens, from native favourites to classic evergreens that won’t let you down.
1. Lilly Pilly – Syzygium spp.
A true Aussie all-rounder. Lilly Pilly hedges are fast-growing, dense and easy to shape, making them perfect for both formal and informal settings. The vibrant red new foliage adds visual interest and many varieties also produce edible berries loved by birds (and occasionally humans).
Best for: Formal or informal hedges, privacy screens
Height: 1.5 to 5+ metres
Loves: Full sun to part shade
Top cultivars: Go for Psyllid resistant (a sap-sucking insect that causes pimple-like small bumps on leaves) choices such as ‘Resilience’ and ‘Hinterland Gold’.
2. Murraya – Murraya paniculata
Also known as Orange Jessamine, Murraya offers glossy green foliage and clusters of sweetly scented white flowers. It forms a thick, bushy hedge and responds well to regular trimming.
Best for: Fragrant formal hedges
Height: 1.5 to 4 metres
Loves: Full sun to part shade
Bonus: Great for tropical-style gardens or hedges near seating areas where you can enjoy the perfume.
Top cultivar: ‘Min-a-Min’ (dwarf variety for low hedges)
3. Callistemon – Callistemon spp.
These Bottlebrush plants are native favourites. With their bright, brush-like flowers and bird-attracting nectar, they add colour and movement to any garden. Many varieties are naturally dense and prune well into a tidy screen.
Best for: Native gardens, attracting birds
Height: 1 to 3 metres (depending on variety)
Loves: Full sun
Bonus: Drought-tolerant once established and loved by pollinators.
Top cultivars: ‘Great Balls of Fire’, ‘Little John’, ‘Endeavour’, ‘Kings Park Special’
4. Photinia – Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’
Vibrant, fast-growing hedge plants with striking red new growth that matures to green. It’s eye-catching, easy to maintain and can be shaped into a formal screen.
Best for: Eye-catching boundary hedges
Height: 2 to 4 metres
Loves: Full sun to part shade
Top cultivar: ‘Red Robin’ (most popular)
5. Viburnum – Viburnum odoratissimum
This robust, fast-growing evergreen forms a lush, tall hedge quickly. It’s ideal for creating privacy and softening fences, with large glossy leaves and the occasional cluster of white flowers.
Best for: Quick privacy
Height: 2 to 4+ metres
Loves: Sun or part shade
Top cultivars: ‘Awabuki’ (glossier foliage, slightly more compact), ‘Dense Fence’ (a fast growing variety)
6. Box Hedge – Buxus spp.
These classic hedge plants are the perfect choice for low, manicured hedges and garden borders. Box hedges are slow-growing but respond beautifully to clipping and are perfect for adding structure to formal gardens.
Best for: Low borders, formal gardens
Height: 30cm to 1 metre
Loves: Full sun to part shade
Top choices: English Box (Buxus sempervirens), Japanese Box (Buxus microphylla var. japonica) Korean Box (Buxus microphylla var. microphylla)
7. Westringia – Westringia fruticosa
This hardy native shrub has grey-green foliage and dainty purple or white flowers. It thrives in coastal and drought-prone areas and forms a dense, wind-resistant hedge.
Best for: Coastal gardens, low hedges
Height: 1 to 2 metres
Loves: Full sun, tolerates wind and salt
Top cultivars: ‘Smokey’, ‘Zena’, ‘Aussie Box’, ‘Mundi’
8. Camellia – Camellia sasanqua
A hedge with year-round greenery and a bonus flower show. Camellia sasanqua offers beautiful blooms in late Autumn and Winter, making it a seasonal standout.
Best for: Flowering hedges, part-shade areas
Height: 1.5 to 3 metres
Loves: Part shade, protection from hot afternoon sun
Top cultivars: ‘Jennifer Susan’, ‘Paradise Pearl’, ‘Plantation Pink’, ‘Setsugekka’
9. Melaleuca – Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Claret Tops’
This compact cultivar of the Snow-In-Summer group is a standout for its rich claret-coloured new growth and dense, fine-textured foliage. ‘Claret Tops’ is well-suited to formal or informal hedging and provides a splash of year-round interest without demanding much in return.
Best for: Low to medium native hedges with colourful foliage
Height: 1 to 2 metres
Loves: Full sun, well-drained soil
10. Gardenia – Gardenia augusta
Lush, glossy foliage and those creamy white, heavily scented flowers make Gardenia augusta a stunning option for a low to medium flowering hedge. With a smaller growth habit and year-round greenery, it’s perfect for hedges near entrances, walkways or seating areas where you can enjoy the fragrance up close.
Best for: Fragrant, ornamental hedges in warm climates
Height: 1 to 2 metres (depending on cultivar)
Loves: Part shade to full sun in warm, sheltered spots
Bonus: Best in humid, frost-free areas. Benefits from rich soil and mulch
Top cultivars: ‘Florida’ , ‘Professor Pucci’, ‘Aimee Yoshiba’
11. Port Wine Magnolia – Magnolia figo (formerly Michelia figo)
This evergreen shrub has all the good stuff: glossy green foliage, a dense growth habit and heavenly-scented flowers that smell like sweet wine or Juicy Fruit chewing gum. It makes an elegant, low to medium-height formal hedge, especially in courtyards and front gardens.
Best for: Fragrant, evergreen hedges with a touch of old-world charm
Height: 1.5 to 3 metres
Loves: Part shade to full sun; prefers protection from harsh afternoon sun
12. Grevillea – Grevillea spp.
With soft, needle-like foliage and flowers rich in nectar, Grevilleas are great native alternatives for informal hedges. Choose from compact varieties to larger screening types.
Best for: Informal native hedges
Height: 1 to 3 metres (variety dependent)
Loves: Full sun, well-drained soil
Top cultivars: ‘Robyn Gordon’, ‘Superb’, ‘Ned Kelly’, ‘Peaches & Cream’
Warning: Can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions in some people due to their sap and hairs. Plant away from pathways and thoroughfares.
Hedge Plants – In conclusion
The best hedge plants for your garden depends on your goals, climate and how much pruning you’re willing to do. Whether you want a tidy formal border or a bird-friendly native screen, there’s a hedge plant on this list that’s ready to rise to the occasion.
Plant them well, give them time and soon you’ll have a living fence that works hard and looks good doing it.
Love Natives?
If you’re as smitten with Aussie natives as we are, why stop at the garden? Take your love for wildflowers with you wherever you go with our Australian-made native flower earrings — inspired by iconic blooms like the Waratah, Sturt’s Desert Pea, and Silver Wattle. Lightweight, eco-friendly and hand-painted with care, they’re a wearable Australian made tribute to the plants we adore.
