The Best Plants for Screening and Privacy
Creating a natural screen or privacy hedge in your garden not only adds beauty but also provides a sanctuary from the outside world. Whether you're looking for a tropical oasis feel or a more formal hedge, the right plants can offer the perfect solution for screening and privacy.
At Platypus Plants, we offer a wide range of plants that are ideal for creating green screens to suit any garden style. Here’s a look at some of the best plants you can use for privacy hedging, with options ranging from tropical lush to formal elegance.
Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
- Mature height: 4m-8m tall
- Recommended spacing: 2m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/part shade
- Growth rate: Slow to moderate
The Golden Cane Palm is a perfect choice for a tropical screen, with its graceful, arching fronds and ability to grow into a thick, tall clump. It creates a natural, relaxed privacy screen, ideal for gardens in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast. The slow to moderate growth rate means it’s easy to maintain, and it thrives in full sun or part shade.
Heliconia ‘Hot Rio Nights’
- Mature height: 3m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1.5m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/part shade
- Growth rate: Fast
For a more vibrant, tropical look, consider planting Heliconia ‘Hot Rio Nights’. Known for its striking red and orange flowers, this plant brings a splash of colour while creating a dense, tall screen. It grows quickly in warm, humid conditions and is perfect for areas where you want a tropical privacy barrier to form rapidly.
Giant Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai)
- Mature height: 6m-10m tall
- Recommended spacing: 2m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/part shade
- Growth rate: Moderate
The Giant Bird of Paradise is another tropical beauty that can create an impressive tall screen in your garden. With its large, banana-like leaves and white flowers, it adds a dramatic touch while offering privacy. It works well in urban settings where you need a taller screen to block out surrounding buildings or neighbours.
Lilly Pilly Resilience (Syzygium australe ‘Resilience’)
- Mature height: 3m-5m tall
- Recommended spacing: 60cm-1m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/partial shade
- Growth rate: Moderate to fast
The Lilly Pilly Resilience is a popular choice for formal hedging. It has dense, glossy foliage and produces white flowers followed by purple berries, making it a beautiful and functional screen. This variety is resistant to pests and can be pruned to maintain a neat shape, making it perfect for formal gardens where you need year-round privacy.
Backhousia myrtifolia (Grey Myrtle)
- Mature height: 4m-7m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1m-2m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/part shade
- Growth rate: Moderate
For a native hedging option, consider the Backhousia myrtifolia. This plant offers a more refined, formal look with its small, dark green leaves and delicate white flowers. It’s great for creating a dense hedge that not only offers privacy but also attracts native wildlife like bees and butterflies to your garden. It’s a great choice for screening in small yards or courtyards.
Murraya paniculata (Mock Orange)
- Mature height: 2m-4m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1m-1.5m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/partial shade
- Growth rate: Moderate
Murraya paniculata, commonly known as Mock Orange, is a classic choice for formal hedging. Its dense, dark green foliage and fragrant white flowers make it a standout option for privacy screens. This plant offers a neat, compact growth habit, and can be pruned into a formal hedge. Its moderate growth rate ensures it fills in well, providing year-round privacy and an elegant look for formal gardens.
Xanadu (Philodendron ‘Xanadu’)
- Mature height: 1m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1.5m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Part shade
- Growth rate: Moderate
Xanadu is a fantastic choice for a ground cover beneath taller hedging plants. Its lush, tropical foliage grows in clumps and helps fill in the gaps, creating a layered privacy screen. It’s especially useful in shady areas of the garden where taller plants might not thrive.
Cordylines
- Mature height: 1m-3m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Full sun/part shade
- Growth rate: Fast
Cordylines bring a splash of colour to your privacy garden. Their bright, red or pink foliage creates contrast, while their fast growth and slender habit help fill vertical gaps between other plants. Use Cordylines as layering plants to add texture and interest while increasing your garden's privacy.
Alocasias
- Mature height: 1m-1.5m tall
- Recommended spacing: 1m apart
- Ideal growing conditions: Part shade
- Growth rate: Moderate
Alocasias, with their large, elephant ear-like leaves, make excellent understory plants for tropical gardens. They create a layered effect under taller screening plants, adding depth to your privacy garden and ensuring that no gaps are left uncovered.
