Thankyou.

We could paint it, but it may be a bigger job than planting hedges...we are wanting to plant plats that we will trim into box hedges along the fence - big issue is some of he garden is full sun (until our new trees we will plant will be established) others parts of garden shade - so really wanting a hedge that will tolerate both conditions - so that we can use the same plant right around. if we cant...what will two different hedges look like as they will meet where the cream meet the green fence...as well as two different hedge plants been visible from road / been on both sides of the driveway.

Thankyou. Could you possibly send me an image of your garden.

Try searching the net for Canberra garden hedges for some inspiration and advice on hedging plants. Due to the fencing restrictions in the ACT they use a lot of hedges, large and small, in the old suburbs and for plants to survive in the Canberra climate they have to be pretty tough.

Agree with Julie; Viburnum tinus laurustinus varieties, especially some of the newer cultivars will perform very well for what you're trying to achieve so are good contenders for your choice. They do very well in full sun and in heavy shade and shape up well when taken to with your hedging blades. (I would lift the canopy of the pears though) We have used Laurustinus extensively in our garden for hedging and topiary both in sun & shade.

Under Prunus trees but in mostly full sun & little irrigation: https://flic.kr/p/ekTi8m

Under Snow pears & Chinese Elms in really heavy shade in summer: https://flic.kr/p/NEdnCT

Under Snow pears in Spring: https://flic.kr/p/APQrMH

Acmena is pretty risky against a fence & will certainly not thrive behind those pear trees - have seen a precisely exact garden situation here in Wimmera, Victoria & the Lilly Pilly, after a few years was really disappointing with pest problems of sooty mould because it was against a fence - the newer cultivars of Acmena are psyllid resistant, but they still are frost tender and need to be grown with full air circulation around the plant to perform.

Good luck!

Why not Espalier a climber over all the fence - (Chinese Virginia Creeper - great colours).

And grow the Viburnum as your hedge everywhere.

It will look amazing!

- Contuinued - I would grow the creeper over a lattice in front of the fences.

The differing shade conditions as well as the competition from the pear trees will likely result in different growth rates of the Acmena it will be difficult to achieve the unifying theme you desire. Why not cut your losses and choose more diversity? Wanting to see flowers and choosing hedges seems at odds since the buds will be trimmed off as part of regular maintenance ?

Thankyou. sorry i may have caused some misunderstanding. we are not particularly wanting flowers. :)

Good luck with your garden, it looks beaut already. We wanted a hedge at our place too - took an age researching all different types but in the end, I disregarded everything and planted a row of bush roses. I just did them from cuttings, planting them a metre apart and voila, 18months later we have a lovely thick hedge-row of roses which look fab in full bloom of bright pink. Another good thing with bush roses is that they don't much care if they are in full sun or part shade and they are much easier to clip than the usual types of hedge plants. Hope this helps

Wow thankyou. i haven't heard of those before. Do you have a picture?

Thankyou. i really like these. i might even put them somewhere else in our garden.

what would i ask for from the nursery.

Also to Strike these, did you literally just take a clipping and poke it straight into the soil and water it?

Hi islad, If you buy from a nursery, ask for a pink Tesselaar Carpet Rose, also if you put that name into Google they have a website where you can look at the various colours of these roses, which range from a pale creamy pink through to deep red. Don't take much notice of the height they say they grow, because they DO grow up to 1800mm (1.8m) high x same in width - other friends of mine also have these roses and they are all the same height as mine. This rose type is quite common, so you might even find a neighbour with one who could give you some cuttings. As for striking these: pop into Bunnings or your local hardware shop and get yourself a packet of Yates Plant Cutting Powder 15g (it's a small white packet with black writing, approx $6). Once opened, either keep the opened packet in a resealable plastic bag or pour the powder into a clean jar to keep it dry and it will last for years. Striking plants is very easy and this is the general rule of thumb for striking most plants: It's best to take cuttings from plants that are over 1 year old, cut at a slight angle and dip it into the powder, shake off the excess. Push a stick or something a bit thicker than your cutting into the planting spot and push it down approx 10cm, put the cutting in and firm the ground around it. Every gardener has their own special tips and my tips for striking roses are: 1) before you do anything, put a stake into the ground to support your new cutting. 2) pull off all the leaves and any thorns from your cutting. 3) tie cutting loosely to the stake and water thoroughly but DO NOT apply any fertilizer until they form leaves - only fertilize lightly. 4) water twice daily for 1st week then once daily til the first leaves form - don't need much water, just a cup is enough. 5) don't forget to loosen the tie as your cutting grows (a soft thin strip of cloth is best). Hope this helps - if you happen to be relatively new to gardening and would like more help or tips, please don't hesitate to ask me, as gardeners are always happy to help each other. Cheers for now

It's always tough trying to find a hedge that will grow in sun and shade, especially when you want a uniform look. Having said that, it isn't uncommon for designers to use a couple of different species - for example one species to boundary fences with another to the front fence. I'd consider lifting the canopy of the existing trees to let light in for more even growth across the hedge, however I'd still expect it to be a bit uneven due to the varying conditions throughout the garden.

Viburnum tinus is a good pick for both a sunny position and a shady position, it will eventually get to 2m height and can be kept as low as 1m. If this isn't large enough, you could also try Portuguese laurel, (Prunus lusitanica) which will get to 4m easily enough. Both of these aren't particularly fast growing, but with adequate water and food they should be good for your situation. Murraya is another one that will tolerate sun and shade, though not frost. You won't get as many flowers in shady positions, and it may look a bit straggly. Your local nursery may be able to advise on what is readily available.

When you plant, preparation and ongoing care is going to be important as it look as though you have a few plants that the hedge will have to compete with as it establishes (your neighbours conifers and your pears). Digging a good wide planting hole, plenty of organic matter mixed with the back-fill, as well as regular watering and feeding until the plants get established.

Much as the Flower Carpet Roses are tough (especially the original pink), I wouldn't recommend planting roses in anything less than 4 hours of direct sun a day. You'll end up having issues with blackspot and mildew, and they're not going to give you the neat box look that you want. Flower Carpet Roses (Tesselaar Roses) are a good tough rose, however some colours (cultivars) are tougher than others. Pink is one of the best performing varieties, and as suggested, reaches a bit more than the height on the label. That may not be true of all the different colours though. Be careful propagating any of the flower carpet roses, only ever for yourself as they are rigourously protected either with trademark names and/or Plant Breeders Rights, making it illegal to sell the propagated material under the flower carpet name, or at all (in the case of PBR).

Good luck!

Being in the Riverina I need to question your soil pH for the Camellia selection. I don't think that this is a good idea. Especially in the full sun with high heat that you will get.

You will struggle to grow a hedge in front of the green fence - root competition from the pears will be an issue.

I don't like suggesting a plant for this region without seeing the site. But as you already have pears doing well, there is another entirely different pear that you could consider that is not dormant for very long and is a beautiful smaller tree. Your existing pears are only young - they will get bigger with an expanding root system.

This smaller ornamental pear is Pyrus betulaefolia 'Dancer' - do some research. It has really lovely greyish green glossy leaves that dance with any breeze, resembling a silver birch. You could use this tree as an almost evergreen and then plant densely at the base with a solid, drought tolerant, partial shade loving ground cover.

I would use a prostrate conifer for example as a ground cover under the existing pears and the new area. This will provide continuity with both areas. The hedge around the garden beds around the existing pears doesn't work for me. I would strongly suggest removing them and using a ground cover throughout. The area will look bigger for this change as the effect is flowing and not boxed in.

Thankyou for the suggestions :)..thought i will also ask on this post..what are some suggestion for pretty formal small plants or ground covers that have pretty coloured flowers that would grown in the shade on the mound under the tree in the corner of these photos where there is rock mound?

You could try the following plants, again, you need to check if they'll work with your conditions.

Trachelospermum asiaticum

Myoporum parvifolium

Vinca minor

Viola hederacea

Plectranthus ciliatus (though this won't stand up to frost)

Scaevola sp.

Geranium endressii

Anemone x hybrida

Thankyou. Do you have the common Names for these? :)

Best to look up the proper names - that way you get the correct plant. Too many plants have the same common names, or even multiple common names.