Garden style is one way to narrow the choice of hedge. Foliage colour and texture, hedge height and the way it is trimmed can all influence how naturally a hedge fits the landscape around it.
A single Living Walls™ variety may suit several garden styles. Use the suggestions below as a starting point, then check that your preferred hedge also suits your site's growing conditions, available space and required height.
Living Edge™ provides low-growing structure and edging. Living Boundary™ creates mid-height boundaries and defined spaces. Living Screen™ provides taller privacy and screening. Pleached Screen trees provide elevated screening and architectural structure.
Looking for visual inspiration? Explore Garden Style Inspiration to see Living Walls™ hedges in completed landscapes.
Availability changes as hedge batches grow and sell. View our Price List for current availability and suitable alternatives.
Coastal conditions vary according to wind, salt exposure, shelter and distance from the sea. Choose a variety for the actual exposure of your site as well as the coastal look you want.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica, Corokia ‘Clover’ and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Corokia ‘Clover’, Corokia ‘Frosted Chocolate’, Corokia ‘Geenty’s Green’, Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Griselinia ‘Canterbury’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Ligustrum rotundifolium and Photinia ‘Red Robin’.
Living Screen™: Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Griselinia ‘Broadway Mint’, Ilex largo, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’, Olea europaea ‘El Greco’, Pittosporum ‘Green Lustre’ and Pittosporum ‘Irish Luck’.
See A Hedge for Every Garden for the distinction between coastal-tolerant varieties and those better suited to sites protected from direct salt spray and strong winds.
Contemporary landscapes generally suit clear hedge lines, restrained foliage and plants that provide a strong evergreen background.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica, Corokia ‘Clover’ and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Corokia ‘Frosted Chocolate’, Corokia ‘Geenty’s Green’, Ilex ‘Hendersonii’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Ligustrum rotundifolium, Michelia figo and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Ficus tuffi, Ilex ‘Black Shadow’, Ilex largo and Podocarpus ‘Ardmore Green’.
Pleached Screen: Ficus tuffi, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Olea europaea ‘El Greco’.
Courtyards often benefit from compact forms, evergreen structure and hedges that can provide privacy without a broad canopy. Where root space is restricted, choose a variety recommended for long-term container use.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Paradise Pearl’, Camellia ‘Yuletide’, Citrus ‘Tahitian Lime’, Ilex ‘Hendersonii’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Ligustrum rotundifolium and Osmanthus.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Ficus tuffi, Ilex largo and Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’.
Pleached Screen: Ficus tuffi, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Olea europaea ‘El Greco’.
See A Hedge for Every Garden for varieties particularly recommended for containers and enclosed planters.
Cottage gardens suit hedges that provide structure beneath looser planting. Low clipped forms, flowering varieties, fragrance and foliage with a softer texture can all contribute to the look.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Paradise Pearl’, Camellia ‘Setsugekka’, Camellia ‘Yuletide’, Corokia ‘Frosted Chocolate’, Corokia ‘Geenty’s Green’, Michelia figo and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Fairy Magnolia® Cream, Pittosporum ‘Green Lustre’ and Pittosporum ‘Irish Luck’.
See Flowering and Fragrant Hedges for flower colour, fragrance and flowering seasons.
Country gardens can accommodate many different hedge forms and longer hedge lines. The best choice depends on whether you want the garden to feel natural, traditional, formal or Mediterranean.
For native foliage and texture: Corokia, Griselinia, Pittosporum and Podocarpus varieties.
For a formal or traditional character: Buxus, Ilex and Laurus varieties.
For flowers, fragrance or seasonal colour: Camellia, Fairy Magnolia®, Michelia and Photinia varieties.
For Mediterranean or culinary character: Citrus ‘Tahitian Lime’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Olea europaea ‘El Greco’.
Most Living Walls™ varieties can suit a country or lifestyle garden where their particular growing requirements can be met.
Formal and traditional gardens suit hedges with naturally dense growth that can be shaped into crisp, balanced lines. Repetition, consistent foliage and distinct hedge heights help establish order.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Paradise Pearl’, Camellia ‘Setsugekka’, Camellia ‘Yuletide’, Ilex ‘Hendersonii’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Ligustrum rotundifolium, Osmanthus and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Ficus tuffi, Ilex ‘Black Shadow’, Ilex largo, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Podocarpus ‘Ardmore Green’.
Pleached Screen: Ficus tuffi, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Olea europaea ‘El Greco’.
Mediterranean-style gardens often suit grey-green or aromatic foliage, clipped evergreen forms and plants associated with warm-climate landscapes.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Yuletide’, Citrus ‘Tahitian Lime’, Corokia ‘Frosted Chocolate’, Corokia ‘Geenty’s Green’, Griselinia littoralis 'Ardmore Emerald’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’, Osmanthus, Photinia ‘Red Robin’ and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Griselinia littoralis 'Ardmore Emerald’, Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’, Olea europaea ‘El Greco’ and Podocarpus ‘Ardmore Green’.
Pleached Screen: Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’ and Olea europaea ‘El Greco’.
Subtropical gardens suit lush or glossy evergreen foliage that can provide a dense background for large-leafed and more sculptural plants.
Living Boundary™: Citrus ‘Tahitian Lime’, Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Griselinia ‘Canterbury’, Ilex ‘Hendersonii’ and Michelia figo.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Fairy Magnolia® Cream, Ficus tuffi, Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’ and Griselinia ‘Broadway Mint’.
Pleached Screen: Ficus tuffi.
Native Living Walls™ varieties offer a wide choice of foliage colours, textures and hedge forms. Being native does not automatically make a variety suitable for every New Zealand site.
Living Edge™: Corokia ‘Clover’.
Living Boundary™: Corokia ‘Clover’, Corokia ‘Frosted Chocolate’, Corokia ‘Geenty’s Green’, Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Griselinia ‘Canterbury’, Pittosporum ‘Pot Belly’ and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Griselinia ‘Broadway Mint’, Pittosporum ‘Green Lustre’, Pittosporum ‘Irish Luck’ and Podocarpus ‘Ardmore Green’.
Choose according to drainage, exposure, climate and available root space as well as the native character you want.
Woodland-style gardens suit evergreen hedges that can provide definition among layered foliage and flowering plants. Available light and competition from established tree roots are important considerations.
Living Edge™: Buxus japonica.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Paradise Pearl’, Camellia ‘Setsugekka’, Camellia ‘Yuletide’, Griselinia ‘Ardmore Emerald’, Ilex ‘Hendersonii’, Michelia figo and Osmanthus.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Ficus tuffi, Ilex ‘Black Shadow’, Ilex largo and Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’.
Even varieties that tolerate partial shade need sufficient light to maintain healthy, dense foliage.
Japanese-inspired gardens generally suit restrained evergreen foliage, deliberate proportions and clearly defined hedge forms.
Living Edge™: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica, Corokia ‘Clover’ and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
Living Boundary™: Camellia ‘Paradise Pearl’, Camellia ‘Setsugekka’, Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide', Osmanthus and Podocarpus ‘Matapouri Blue’.
Living Screen™: Camellia ‘Paradise Venessa’, Ilex largo and Podocarpus ‘Ardmore Green’.
Some Living Walls™ varieties provide leaves for culinary use or edible fruit. Other low-growing hedges can bring order to paths and productive beds without being edible themselves.
For fruit or culinary foliage: Citrus ‘Tahitian Lime’, Laurus nobilis ‘Pride of Provence’ and Laurus nobilis ‘Verdi’.
For low structure around beds and paths: Buxus ‘Green Gem’, Buxus japonica and Euonymus ‘Emerald Gem’.
See A Hedge for Every Garden for more information about Living Walls™ hedges with culinary uses.
Use these suggestions as a starting point, not a set of rules. If there is a variety you particularly like, it may still work even if it is not listed under your preferred style. You can also combine ideas from different styles rather than following one named look.
The final check is whether the hedge suits the height you need, what you want it to do and the growing conditions at your site.
Check each variety’s product page for its growing requirements. Use A Hedge for Every Garden to compare hedges by practical requirements, or view our Price List for current sizes, prices and availability.
Need help narrowing the options? Contact us for general guidance.
We’ve grown your hedge for you.
