Living Walls™ instant hedges are available in a wide range of NZ native and exotic varieties, with different foliage, flowers, colours, growing characteristics and site requirements.
Each hedge is supplied in one-metre lengths. The four Living Walls™ ranges provide different finished heights and forms, helping you choose a hedge to suit the scale and purpose of your project.
Living Edge™
Low-growing instant hedges for borders, edging and structure
Supplied at approximately 200–500 mm high, Living Edge™ hedges work well for garden borders, edging driveways and paths, and other areas where low structure and definition are needed.
Living Boundary™
Mid-height instant hedges for boundaries and defined spaces
Supplied at approximately 600 mm–1.2 m high, Living Boundary™ hedges are well suited to boundaries, garden rooms, patios and other areas where mid-height screening or separation is needed.
Living Screen™
Tall-growing instant hedges for privacy and screening
Supplied at approximately 1.0–1.8 m high, Living Screen™ hedges provide immediate height for boundaries, outdoor living areas and other situations where taller screening is needed.
Pleached Screen
Elevated screening above fences and walls
Pleached Screen trees provide screening and structure at height while keeping clear space below the foliage. Their narrow trained form gives them a smaller footprint than a conventional tree canopy, while the elevated foliage provides screening above fences, walls or lower planting.
Whatever your garden’s style or requirements, explore below to find the instant hedge that’s right for you.
Whether you’re drawn to flowers, foliage, or function, choosing the right hedge starts with understanding where it will grow best.
Choosing the right hedge starts with understanding your growing environment. Every site is different, and the hedge you choose needs to suit the conditions.
Most hedge varieties are adaptable, but some conditions matter more than others. Not all New Zealand natives suit enclosed urban spaces, many hedges dislike poorly drained or waterlogged soil, and varieties that perform well in the ground may not be suitable for containers over the long term.
Improve Soil Drainage Before Planting Your Hedge
When choosing a hedge, consider sunlight, shade, wind exposure, frost, water access, drainage, available space and your desired finished height.
Each Living Walls™ range also has its own typical height and form, so check that the variety you choose will suit the scale of hedge you want. Each variety’s webpage includes information to help you decide whether it is right for your site.
(Photo: Laurus nobilis and Camellia sasanqua instant hedges, Buxus 'Green Gem' globes)
Some Living Walls™ varieties are better suited to long-term container growing than others, making them better choices for troughs, raised planters, planter boxes and some retaining-wall situations.
The varieties recommended here tend to cope better with restricted root space, maintain a better shape, remain more manageable and be easier to care for over the long term.
Container-grown hedges need sufficient container mix volume, reliable irrigation and good drainage. The size of the container also needs to suit the hedge variety and bag size you are installing.
For recommended minimum container dimensions and installation guidance, see our Container and Planter Box Guide
(Photo: Griselinia 'Ardmore Emerald’ instant hedges)
Many hedge varieties can perform well in coastal environments, but coastal conditions vary considerably. Salt exposure, wind, shelter and distance from the sea all affect how suitable a variety will be.
Even coastal-tolerant hedges need adequate water while establishing and acclimatising in their new location. Where foliage has been exposed to significant salt spray, rinsing it with fresh water after storms can help remove salt residue.
Coastal-tolerant varieties
These varieties are better suited to sites with moderate to high coastal exposure, including occasional salt spray, where the other growing conditions are appropriate.
Moderately coastal-tolerant varieties
These varieties are better suited to coastal sites with some protection from direct salt spray and strong winds, such as shelter from fences, buildings or established planting.
(Photo: Michelia gracipes instant hedges)
If flowers or fragrance are part of the garden you have in mind, several Living Walls™ varieties combine seasonal flowering with the structure of a clipped hedge.
Camellia sasanqua varieties have a long flowering period through autumn and into winter. Michelias and Magnolias generally flower from late winter into spring, with some producing another flush in summer.
Explore our Flowering & Fragrant Hedges guide for more detail on flowering varieties, colours, fragrance and flowering seasons.
(Photo: Citrus 'Tahitian Lime' instant hedges)
Some Living Walls™ hedges can do more than provide structure and screening.
Tahitian Lime combines glossy evergreen foliage and fragrant flowers with usable fruit, while our bay varieties provide aromatic leaves that can be picked for cooking. Even regular trimming releases their distinctive fragrance.
(Photo: Corokia 'Frosted Chocolate' instant hedges)
Most evergreen hedges change subtly through the seasons as fresh growth appears. Some varieties provide a more noticeable shift in foliage colour, giving the hedge another layer of seasonal interest.
Fresh spring growth may emerge lighter green, bronze, crimson or red, while some varieties develop different foliage tones through the cooler months.
(Photo: Ilex 'Black Shadow' instant hedges)
Sometimes the colour of the hedge matters as much as its height or form.
These varieties have particularly deep or dark green foliage, making them useful where you want a strong green backdrop, contrast with lighter planting, or a more formal clipped appearance.
(Photo: Corokia 'Clover' instant hedges)
Our NZ native Living Walls™ varieties include Corokia, Griselinia, Pittosporum and Tōtara, giving you a wide choice of foliage colours, textures and hedge forms.
Being native does not automatically mean a variety will suit every New Zealand site. Each has its own preferences for conditions such as drainage, exposure, climate and root space, so choose according to the site as well as the look you want.
(photo: instant hedges growing for you at Twining Valley Nurseries)
Many familiar hedge plants used in New Zealand gardens originated overseas. Our exotic Living Walls™ varieties include Buxus, Camellia, Ficus, Ilex, Laurus, Michelia, Olive and others, offering a wide range of foliage, flowers, fragrance and growing forms.
Explore the Living Walls™ Instant Hedge Range or check our Price List for current heights, prices and availability.
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