Great for hedging
Oleaster
It’s easy to overlook oleasters, but the evergreen members of the Elaeagnus family create great hedges and backdrops for herbaceous borders and their foliage is useful for flower arranging. Great choices include E. x submacrophylla AGM, which has green leaves with small silver spots and silverywhite undersides that create a shimmering effect. It produces scented, creamy white flowers in autumn and tolerates salt, shade and dry soils. Ex submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’ AGM has green leaves with yellow margins.
Maximum height: 4m (13ft) Position: Full sun or partial shade Soil: Moist, well-drained and reasonably fertile
New Zealand privet
As a dense hedge with attractive applegreen oval leaves that provides a beautiful backdrop for borders, Griselinia littoralis AGM is a great choice. It can also be planted in a mixed border, providing a foil for more colourful or blowsy species. Expect small yellow-green flowers followed by purple fruits if male and female plants are grown together. Good for coastal areas.
Maximum height: 4 - 8m (13ft – 26ft) Position: Full sun
Soil: Moist and well-drained
Yew
Versatility and longevity are two of the hallmarks of yew (Taxus baccata). Often grown as a dense hedge, it responds well to close clipping for clean lines. Yew can be used to provide geometric shapes and topiary or serve as a stand-alone specimen in the ground or a container. Yew produces needle-like leaves and red fruits in autumn and winter. Consider Irish yew T. baccata ‘Fastigiata’ AGM and its golden relative T. baccata ‘Fastigiata Aureomarginata’ AGM.
Maximum height: More than 12m (39ft) Position: Full sun, partial or full shade Soil: Well-drained – avoid waterlogged areas
Good for form Pittosporum
For a versatile and neat shrub that can be clipped into different shapes, grown as a hedge, placed in a mixed border or used as a source of foliage for flower arranging, pittosporum ticks a lot of boxes. It comes in a variety of colours and prefers sheltered, sunny locations, but loathes wet soil. It may require winter protection in colder areas. Consider ‘Garnettii’ AGM, with rounded grey-green leaves edged with cream and sometimes tinged pink in winter, and P. tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ AGM which has a rounded habit, deep purple leaves and light green young growth.
Maximum height: 1m (3ft 2in) Position: Full sun or partial shade Soil: Moist, well-drained and reasonably fertile
Box
Buxus sempervirens is a native tree that has long been used for clipped hedging, geometric shapes and topiary, although in recent years growers have had to consider its vulnerability to box blight and box caterpillar. For those not willing to take the risk, the box-leaved hollies Ilex crenata Dark Green (‘Icoprins11’) and Luxus (‘Annys5’) are good substitutes.
Maximum height: 5m (16ft 4in) Position: Full sun or light shade Soil: Moist, well-drained and reasonably fertile
Wilson’s honeysuckle
For clipped shapes, Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis (previously known as L. nitida) is a popular choice. Recent introductions include the Garden Clouds® series, bred to naturally form a round shape and grow to a maximum size of 90cm (2ft 9in). ‘Copper Glow’ stands out with its orange-coloured new shoots.
Maximum height: 2.5 to 4m (8ft 2ins to 13ft 1in)
Position: Full sun or partial shade Soil: Moist and well-drained