Best plants for creating a hedge

Hedges provide a neat solution to many garden design problems, weaving magic as a privacy screen, windbreak or dividing wall.

Hedges not only look stately, they're also the best way to add privacy to your garden. Of course not all hedging plants were created equal, so it's wise to spend some time choosing the best species for your project. Consider the height you want, what suits your climate, growth rate, and attributes such as flowers, fruit, density, foliage color and hardiness.

 5 of the best plant species for Hedges

 1. Sasanqua camellia

Autumn-flowering sasanqua camellias have plenty to offer. The large, abundant blooms are available in every shade of pink, plus white and red, set against lustrous dark green foliage. Their naturally upright growth makes them ideal for hedges from 1.5m to 5m tall; use a dwarf variety for small hedges. They're not the fastest growers and are low maintenance as a result. They like rich, slightly acidic soil and sun to part shade.

2. Sweet viburnum

Sweet viburnum is much loved for its lush, large, bright-green leaves and super-speedy growth. But be warned, you'll need to clip it constantly in summer to keep it neat. A vigorous grower, it's best for 3-4m tall hedges. Look for the more compact form 'Dense Fence' or try Viburnum suspensum, which is a smaller variety.

3. Japanese box

Box is the classic formal hedge and for most parts of Australia, Japanese box is the best variety. It has glossy, green foliage with lime-green new growth and a moderate growth rate. In cold areas, use English box (Buxus sempervirens), which is darker, matt green and slower growing. Use box for short hedges up to 1m tall or in parterre designs. 'Faulkner' is an excellent compact variety of Japanese box. Plant three or four per metre.

4. Cascade lilly pilly

There are dozens of different lilly pillies but many are prone to pest problems. My pick is 'Cascade', not just for its robust performance and fast growth, but for its fat, pink powderpuff flowers in summer, its flushes of pink to crimson new growth and its masses of crimson berry fruit, which is suitable for jams and jellies. It has a gently weeping style of growing – lovely for an informal hedge or shaped into a topiary ball – and reaches about 3m tall in sun or part shade.

5. Murraya

Sometimes called orange jessamine, murraya has become one of our most popular hedges for all the right reasons. The glossy green leaves are small and dense, with perfumed white flowers as a bonus. Murraya grows quickly, in sun or part shade and in most soils, and resists most pests and diseases. Old hedges can be rejuvenated by hard pruning if needed. It's suitable for hedges from 1.5 to 4m tall.