Good Hedge Bets

Thinking about planting a hedge? Why not make it one that’s both beautiful and bountiful?

- Claire Bickle

It’s interesting that when presented with a practical gardening issue, such as the need for shade, privacy or groundcover, we always look to plants that are purely ornamental. And even when we’re offered the choice of an edible plant to do the job, we tend to baulk at the idea of using a fruiting plant for the task. I wonder why this is. Maybe it’s because we don’t see past the usefulness of edible plants to appreciate their beauty as well.

There’s really no reason to ignore edible plants for use outside the veggie patch, herb garden and orchard. In fact, there are many fruiting trees that provide great shade, several edible plants that act as excellent groundcovers and, for our purposes here, there’s also any number of wonderful choices for creating a hedge.

So, are you willing to take the plunge and break the mould? Forget about the boxes, the murrayas and the photinias and instead consider something from the line-up we’ve put together here, especially if it’s for a hedge around your veggie garden.

LARGE HEDGE AND SCREENING PLANTS

Olives, Olea europaea

Olives, if left to their own devices, will grow into decent-sized trees, but they do lend themselves to being espaliered across fences and lattice work. The beautiful contrasting grey foliage is attractive and the fruit is a bonus. They like a full-sun, free-draining position and will even go well in pots (see our last issue, Backyard 17.1).

Cherry guavas, Psidium littorale

These guavas have lovely dark-green foliage and the added bonus of either yellow or red fruit about the size of a small plum. If left unclipped, they’ll make an informal hedge of around 3m × 3m. They can be clipped to keep them tidier.

Grumichama, Eugenia brasiliensis