Id have Raised planter boxes put in around the outside of our yard so my mother in-law doesn't have to spend hours on the ground with a bad back to do the gardening!..

My other bush of Rhodys, taken today, I'm on top of the steps, it's about 6 ft. I've cut them back each year, they were huge when I moved in. Not good to have huge bushes near the house if there's a bushfire. The first bush has finished flowering. It's a hotter pink.

Tell me about it, the ones across the road were going all day and night in the front yard, including revving up a motor bike they're not allowed to ride! my hubby wears flannie shirts when he's not in work gear. He likes ripping them, that's a trend that should end. of course, all Australian flag thongs (flip flops) are made in China!

In Brisbane too. Murraya is a trooper as a hedge. Keeps its foliage all the way down the plant and doesn’t get leggy if correctly cut. Keep it very slightly wider at the base than the top for best result. Enjoys some regular water for dark green leaves. May have weed potential near bushland. The viburnum is great too but ours have been plagued by wooly aphids or similar in the last couple of years in our garden, after many years of happy growth. It has tall new growth to four metres plus. Some years it has been entirely stripped by possums, but it bounced back. I don’t like the smell of the plant much either, but it is very tough. Larger leaves mean a power hedge clipper chops the leaves about, so you do need to be a bit careful to avoid a messy look. The trachleospermum jasmine is vigorous and needs frequent clipping, great as a hedge or ground cover but also keeps its leaves on its lower levels, so isn’t leggy if there is reasonable light. Long new growth is currently growing about 20 cm a week! Best of luck.