Just wondering whether using these trees to form a small hedge is a good idea. I have about 10 plants (tubestock) and the hedge would span approx. 7m and have a height of only 1.2m and be quite narrow. It would be bordered by small native shrubs, such as Isopogan. As the trees can grow quite large, could this work? I am concerned that the roots of the Backhousia would choke the rest of the garden. Could another natives be more suitable?

Ideas and comments would be appreciated.

Speedy :)

Speedy said:

Just wondering whether using these trees to form a small hedge is a good idea. I have about 10 plants (tubestock) and the hedge would span approx. 7m and have a height of only 1.2m and be quite narrow. It would be bordered by small native shrubs, such as Isopogan. As the trees can grow quite large, could this work? I am concerned that the roots of the Backhousia would choke the rest of the garden. Could another natives be more suitable?

Ideas and comments would be appreciated.

Speedy :)

they grow tall very quickly (6m high in 2 years here) and lose limbs regularly.
always use local indigenous natives if you can. what’s your approx. location ( nearest big town)?

Hi Justin,

Thanks for bringing this up.

I am in NW Sydney and always try to plant species which are native to my local area, hence these plants were from my local Council community nursery. But … um, it seems that I have made an incorrect assumption in this case and had not thought to check whether these were local natives. Most of the plants grown by that nursery are grown from local seed or cuttings.

I do really like the smell of the leaves though and may still consider using them, so I guess I should also find whether they are likely to become a bit feral and spread to the bushland beside my home.

.

Speedy said:

Hi Justin,
Thanks for bringing this up.
I am in NW Sydney and always try to plant species which are native to my local area, hence these plants were from my local Council community nursery. But … um, it seems that I have made an incorrect assumption in this case and had not thought to check whether these were local natives. Most of the plants grown by that nursery are grown from local seed or cuttings.

I do really like the smell of the leaves though and may still consider using them, so I guess I should also find whether they are likely to become a bit feral and spread to the bushland beside my home.

g’day speedy,

I love the lemon scented gum as well, but its a forest tree, and is a bit big for suburbia imho.
Gardening Australia have done a video on ‘hedging natives’ – http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1805601.htm

this article suggests – callistemons, dodnaea and wattles can be clipped into hedges. since you are looking at only 1.2m high I think this type of local shrub would be a better height..

justin said:

Speedy said:

Hi Justin,
Thanks for bringing this up.
I am in NW Sydney and always try to plant species which are native to my local area, hence these plants were from my local Council community nursery. But … um, it seems that I have made an incorrect assumption in this case and had not thought to check whether these were local natives. Most of the plants grown by that nursery are grown from local seed or cuttings.

I do really like the smell of the leaves though and may still consider using them, so I guess I should also find whether they are likely to become a bit feral and spread to the bushland beside my home.

g’day speedy,

I love the lemon scented gum as well, but its a forest tree, and is a bit big for suburbia imho.
Gardening Australia have done a video on ‘hedging natives’ – http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1805601.htm
this article suggests – callistemons, dodnaea and wattles can be clipped into hedges. since you are looking at only 1.2m high I think this type of local shrub would be a better height..

I have mistaken this name – it is the lemon scented myrtle (not the gum). the myrtle is a lot more appropriate and can be hedged.

Speedy said:

Just wondering whether using these trees to form a small hedge is a good idea. I have about 10 plants (tubestock) and the hedge would span approx. 7m and have a height of only 1.2m and be quite narrow. It would be bordered by small native shrubs, such as Isopogan. As the trees can grow quite large, could this work? I am concerned that the roots of the Backhousia would choke the rest of the garden. Could another natives be more suitable?

Ideas and comments would be appreciated.

Speedy :)

They grow to 30ft here.

I s’pose if Speedy is keen and is happy to spend the odd Sunday in this fashion, s/he could keep the backhousia citridoria hedge nicely trimmed…not just run the hedge trimmer over it occasionally as it sounds like it needs judicious pruning to prevent top-heavy “bare legs”?????????????

pomolo said:

Speedy said:

Just wondering whether using these trees to form a small hedge is a good idea. I have about 10 plants (tubestock) and the hedge would span approx. 7m and have a height of only 1.2m and be quite narrow. It would be bordered by small native shrubs, such as Isopogan. As the trees can grow quite large, could this work? I am concerned that the roots of the Backhousia would choke the rest of the garden. Could another natives be more suitable?

Ideas and comments would be appreciated.

Speedy :)

They grow to 30ft here.

Whoah, do they really….?

People here know how predictable I am about spruiking the joys of a Callistemon hedge…..

That is about 5 years old in these photos, I think. I think I planted in 1999. It has now filled in completely to the fenceline, but I could have cut it further back. In the first 4 or 5 years I religiously cut off every flower head after it had died off. This gave me a good dense bush. I’ve lately left them a bit more to themselves, but this year I have “lifted the skirts” by using the hedge clippers to trim up about a foot or so from the ground. This is more convenient for mowing around and underneath.

I think these were C. citrinus. There are dwarf versions of Callistemon but I prefer the ‘original’ types.

You can see in the top picture that I have a Flinders Ranges Wattle in about the middle of the hedge and in the bottom picture you can see my E. caesia rising out of the flowers. None of these belong in my area – this garden is at Casterton in Western Victoria – but they like the sandy flood loam and look good.

Basically if you bonsai them they’ll make a great hedge.

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

Some people claim that the Bachousia citriodora grows to 5m tall x4 m wide.. others clam it can reach 30 to 40 m tall

http://www.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/council-services/water-sewage/Guide-to-planting-trees-shrubs-near-sewerage-drains.htm

http://www.cropwatch.org/Backhousia%20citriodora.pdf

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv.php?pid=UQ:9969&dsID=mej_inhibitor.pdf

I’d be inclined to think that one or two plants could be espailered to make a hedge.

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

Happy Potter said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

Can be contained in an in-ground pot of dimensions large enough?

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

Can be contained in an in-ground pot of dimensions large enough?

root barriers?

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

Can be contained in an in-ground pot of dimensions large enough?

root barriers?

Something along those lines.. yes.

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

Speedy said:

Just wondering whether using these trees to form a small hedge is a good idea. I have about 10 plants (tubestock) and the hedge would span approx. 7m and have a height of only 1.2m and be quite narrow. It would be bordered by small native shrubs, such as Isopogan. As the trees can grow quite large, could this work? I am concerned that the roots of the Backhousia would choke the rest of the garden. Could another natives be more suitable?

Ideas and comments would be appreciated.

Speedy :)

They grow to 30ft here.

Whoah, do they really….?

From the Australian Plant society:

Backhousia citriodora belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is endemic to central and southern Queensland (Mackay to Brisbane).

This is it’s home territory so it can reach it’s peak height but it will grow as far south as Melbourne apparently.

buffy said:

People here know how predictable I am about spruiking the joys of a Callistemon hedge…..

That is about 5 years old in these photos, I think. I think I planted in 1999. It has now filled in completely to the fenceline, but I could have cut it further back. In the first 4 or 5 years I religiously cut off every flower head after it had died off. This gave me a good dense bush. I’ve lately left them a bit more to themselves, but this year I have “lifted the skirts” by using the hedge clippers to trim up about a foot or so from the ground. This is more convenient for mowing around and underneath.

I think these were C. citrinus. There are dwarf versions of Callistemon but I prefer the ‘original’ types.

You can see in the top picture that I have a Flinders Ranges Wattle in about the middle of the hedge and in the bottom picture you can see my E. caesia rising out of the flowers. None of these belong in my area – this garden is at Casterton in Western Victoria – but they like the sandy flood loam and look good.

buffy said:

People here know how predictable I am about spruiking the joys of a Callistemon hedge…..

That is about 5 years old in these photos, I think. I think I planted in 1999. It has now filled in completely to the fenceline, but I could have cut it further back. In the first 4 or 5 years I religiously cut off every flower head after it had died off. This gave me a good dense bush. I’ve lately left them a bit more to themselves, but this year I have “lifted the skirts” by using the hedge clippers to trim up about a foot or so from the ground. This is more convenient for mowing around and underneath.

I think these were C. citrinus. There are dwarf versions of Callistemon but I prefer the ‘original’ types.

You can see in the top picture that I have a Flinders Ranges Wattle in about the middle of the hedge and in the bottom picture you can see my E. caesia rising out of the flowers. None of these belong in my area – this garden is at Casterton in Western Victoria – but they like the sandy flood loam and look good.

Shows how good these trees can look with a little but of attention happening.

buffy said:

People here know how predictable I am about spruiking the joys of a Callistemon hedge…..

That is about 5 years old in these photos, I think. I think I planted in 1999. It has now filled in completely to the fenceline, but I could have cut it further back. In the first 4 or 5 years I religiously cut off every flower head after it had died off. This gave me a good dense bush. I’ve lately left them a bit more to themselves, but this year I have “lifted the skirts” by using the hedge clippers to trim up about a foot or so from the ground. This is more convenient for mowing around and underneath.

I think these were C. citrinus. There are dwarf versions of Callistemon but I prefer the ‘original’ types.

You can see in the top picture that I have a Flinders Ranges Wattle in about the middle of the hedge and in the bottom picture you can see my E. caesia rising out of the flowers. None of these belong in my area – this garden is at Casterton in Western Victoria – but they like the sandy flood loam and look good.

Shows how good these trees can look with a little but of attention happening.

buffy said:

People here know how predictable I am about spruiking the joys of a Callistemon hedge…..

That is about 5 years old in these photos, I think. I think I planted in 1999. It has now filled in completely to the fenceline, but I could have cut it further back. In the first 4 or 5 years I religiously cut off every flower head after it had died off. This gave me a good dense bush. I’ve lately left them a bit more to themselves, but this year I have “lifted the skirts” by using the hedge clippers to trim up about a foot or so from the ground. This is more convenient for mowing around and underneath.

I think these were C. citrinus. There are dwarf versions of Callistemon but I prefer the ‘original’ types.

You can see in the top picture that I have a Flinders Ranges Wattle in about the middle of the hedge and in the bottom picture you can see my E. caesia rising out of the flowers. None of these belong in my area – this garden is at Casterton in Western Victoria – but they like the sandy flood loam and look good.

Shows how good these trees can look with a little but of attention happening.

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

Can be contained in an in-ground pot of dimensions large enough?

Of course things could be done to still make the Backhousia work in that garden bed, but I will not do it if it is time-consuming, complicated and makes me worry during times of little rain.

So ignoring the Backhousia saga, I gather that it is important to use plants whose mature height/s are not too far removed from what is desired, especially if a garden bed is to be shared with other plants.

pomolo said:

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

They grow to 30ft here.

Whoah, do they really….?

From the Australian Plant society:

Backhousia citriodora belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is endemic to central and southern Queensland (Mackay to Brisbane).

This is it’s home territory so it can reach it’s peak height but it will grow as far south as Melbourne apparently.

I’d expect it easier to hedge in Melbourne than Cairns.

The sun is always directly above in the tropics..

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

Dinetta said:

Whoah, do they really….?

From the Australian Plant society:

Backhousia citriodora belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is endemic to central and southern Queensland (Mackay to Brisbane).

This is it’s home territory so it can reach it’s peak height but it will grow as far south as Melbourne apparently.

I’d expect it easier to hedge in Melbourne than Cairns.

The sun is always directly above in the tropics..

That is a good point. I guess hedges need more trimming on the north-facing side in Melbourne :)

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

Think about Bonsai. How big do the roots of those plants become?

Happy Potter said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

Great minds.

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

pomolo said:

Happy Potter said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for your replies. The GA article is interesting and gave me the idea to use Dodonea Purpurea which I already have growing elsewhere in my garden. Maybe a lilly pilli will suit too. I will do some more research.

I understand that any large plant could be hedged, but am still interested in how using a number of large plants in a small area would affect the garden bed. So say, for example I plant all of the Backhousias in the small area and keep them very small, with their root systems grow smaller too? Or will they choke the garden and restrict the growth of smaller plants in the same garden bed?

Great minds.

That was my thought too. How do you restrict a shrub or tree and still have the area near for planting. To bonsai something it has to be potted. Right?

The first link I posted noted that Backhousia needs to be at least 4 m from any drain or footpath. This would indicate to me that nothing is going to be easy to grow in that zone unless it is suited to root competition..

Speedy said:

Of course things could be done to still make the Backhousia work in that garden bed, but I will not do it if it is time-consuming, complicated and makes me worry during times of little rain.

So ignoring the Backhousia saga, I gather that it is important to use plants whose mature height/s are not too far removed from what is desired, especially if a garden bed is to be shared with other plants.

it is always easier to plan around the natural habit of the plants, rather than try and force plants to fit your plan.

bluegreen said:

Speedy said:

Of course things could be done to still make the Backhousia work in that garden bed, but I will not do it if it is time-consuming, complicated and makes me worry during times of little rain.

So ignoring the Backhousia saga, I gather that it is important to use plants whose mature height/s are not too far removed from what is desired, especially if a garden bed is to be shared with other plants.

it is always easier to plan around the natural habit of the plants, rather than try and force plants to fit your plan.

Well said. :)

Speedy said:

So ignoring the Backhousia saga, I gather that it is important to use plants whose mature height/s are not too far removed from what is desired, especially if a garden bed is to be shared with other plants.

Not sure that many hedges are required to share their garden bed? On a learning curve here…

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll return the Backhousias to the nursery and swap them for Isopogans and other shrubs which are available.

I do like Lilli pillis. With the span and height, can anyone suggest a good, dense variety? The rest of the garden is informal native. I am not a hedge-type person, and this hedge is simply to provide some screening. Any “hedging” advice would be appreciated.

Speedy said:

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll return the Backhousias to the nursery and swap them for Isopogans and other shrubs which are available.

I do like Lilli pillis. With the span and height, can anyone suggest a good, dense variety? The rest of the garden is informal native. I am not a hedge-type person, and this hedge is simply to provide some screening. Any “hedging” advice would be appreciated.

So you’re basically after low-growing shrubs with a minimal canopy?

Speedy said:

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll return the Backhousias to the nursery and swap them for Isopogans and other shrubs which are available.

I do like Lilli pillis. With the span and height, can anyone suggest a good, dense variety? The rest of the garden is informal native. I am not a hedge-type person, and this hedge is simply to provide some screening. Any “hedging” advice would be appreciated.

there are quite a lot of lilly pillys to choose from 1 metre to over 5m from so there should be one suitable for your purpose. I have one that is about 5 metres tall and has small white berries that the birds seem to like and is not as messy as the ones with larger purple berries. I seems to be pretty free of pests where I am (some are susceptible to psyllid attack). I can’t give you the actual name though and there seems to be some confusion when it comes to names anyway. Lilly Pillys are supposed to be good for hedging so perhaps if you get one of the smaller, compact varieties it would meet your needs for a hedge/screen.

Speedy said:

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll return the Backhousias to the nursery and swap them for Isopogans and other shrubs which are available.

I do like Lilli pillis. With the span and height, can anyone suggest a good, dense variety? The rest of the garden is informal native. I am not a hedge-type person, and this hedge is simply to provide some screening. Any “hedging” advice would be appreciated.

Acmena smithii var. minor , small leaved lillypilly. I have three to go on the nature strip out front of my house. I intend to keep them pruned to 2.5 mt tall.

bluegreen said:

Speedy said:

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll return the Backhousias to the nursery and swap them for Isopogans and other shrubs which are available.

I do like Lilli pillis. With the span and height, can anyone suggest a good, dense variety? The rest of the garden is informal native. I am not a hedge-type person, and this hedge is simply to provide some screening. Any “hedging” advice would be appreciated.

there are quite a lot of lilly pillys to choose from 1 metre to over 5m from so there should be one suitable for your purpose. I have one that is about 5 metres tall and has small white berries that the birds seem to like and is not as messy as the ones with larger purple berries. I seems to be pretty free of pests where I am (some are susceptible to psyllid attack). I can’t give you the actual name though and there seems to be some confusion when it comes to names anyway. Lilly Pillys are supposed to be good for hedging so perhaps if you get one of the smaller, compact varieties it would meet your needs for a hedge/screen.

Mine is probably one of the Acmena smithii. See here

I have Melaleuca bracteata golden gem down one side of my drive and can easily hedge this to two or three metres Can keep it lower too but the hedge of Callistemon phonecious on the other side of the drive accompanied by the two huge Silky Oaks, does cause me to allow the Melaleucas to grow taller for light.

Thanks for the info. I will be returning the Backhousias shortly and start my search for a new hedging plant.