TOP TOPIARY & HEDGING PLANTS

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Rachael Matthews owns Hedge Garden Design & Nursery in Wellington. Think of hedges and topiaries as a long-term investment, she says. “They form the bones of a garden, and you don’t want one in a row to die off!”

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1 BUXUS ‘GREEN GEM’ For a small hedge or a topiary, buxus is classic, Rachael says. “It is slow growing so you can keep it in pots, whereas fast-growing plants outgrow pots in a year or two.” Blight can be an issue with buxus, but ‘Green Gem’ is one of the most disease resistant, producing fresh glossy foliage year round. Look out for even more disease resistant buxus varieties coming onto the market over the next few years too, she says.

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2 GRISELINIA LITTORALIS This is Rachael’s pick for a large hedge and/or a tough, exposed site. “It wants to be a tree but it can be maintained as a hedge 2m-plus tall and about 80cm-plus wide.” Just prune two to four times a year, she says. “Otherwise it pops out into a tree and it is hard to tame it back into a hedge.” Adequate ground preparation is key prior to planting, especially on new builds where top soil has been scraped off prior to building, resulting in poor drainage. Griselinia littoralis is very prone to phythophera if growing in heavy, sodden soil, she says.

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3 CAMELLIA SASANQUA If you want a medium-to-tall flowering hedge, Rachael’s suggestion is Camellia sasanqua. “It is fragrant and frilly, with welcome flowers and colour in winter when not much is happening,” she says. Sasanquas are also earlier to flower, so are less susceptible to the blight or browning off which affects spring flowering Camellia japonica. Plus, there are loads of sasanquas for home gardeners to choose from, she says. “I like the Paradise series and any with fragrance.”

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4 ILEX ‘LARGO’ Ilex ‘Largo’, with a strongly upright habit, is Rachael’s top pick for medium to tall (1-3m) narrow hedges. “It looks like Ficus Tuffi, which is good but very frost tender. This suits a wider range of conditions.” It has mid-sized leaves; don’t try and create a small hedge using a plant with big leaves, she counsels. Design wise she thinks smaller leaves look better on small hedges; bigger leaves better on big hedges. “I also choose smaller-leaved plants for topiaries for a sharper definition.”

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5 CARPINUS BETULUS ‘FASTIGIATA’ Hornbeam, Rachael’s pick for a large hedge in a city garden, can cope with a wide range of conditions including part shade and wind. “It has beautiful fluted green leaves in spring and summer, which turn gold in autumn and hold well into winter.” Some don’t like the leaves falling off, she admits, “but remember deciduous trees let in more light in the winter and reveal their elegant filigree branch structures!”