3 Great Evergreen Hedge Plants

Hedges and screens are an integral component of the modern-day garden, offering privacy and in some instances security while affording protection from winds and weather. They may be clipped or trimmed into formal square hedges or else left to grow into informal screens. The plants selected for this purpose are generally quick-growing evergreen shrubs with a dense growth habit, and flowers and colourful foliage are subsequently of secondary importance. Hedge plants need to respond well to regular clipping and continuously make new growth to maintain a long-lasting neat appearance.

Freylinia tropica (honey bell bush)

An attractive indigenous shrub with small grey-green leaves and tubular slender white flowers through summer and into autumn, is is also available in pale lavender- or blue-flowered forms. Plants are compact and bushy, and clip well into low to medium-sized hedges up to 2m tall. Left to grow unchecked the bushes can become rather sparse and untidy. It is adaptable to both sun and semi-shade growing conditions and is both cold and drought resistant, making freylinia a good choice for gardens in a diverse range of climates. As an added bonus it will attract butterflies and bees to the garden while in bloom.