Food producing hedge
Hi all,
I’m interested in recommendations for a ‘hedge’ that I’m growing in my front yard that I want to be: 1) evergreen, 2) food bearing (fruit or herb most likely), and 3) frost tolerant. I’d like a combination of trees with an understorey of herbs, if they’ll grow.
Already planted I have: olive, feijoa, rosemary, and bay leaf. I need to fill the ‘hedge’ out.
Obviously citrus would be one, however I thought they do best in front of north facing walls – this hedge is not close to any walls and is on the south side of my property. Have also been considering:
* Syzygium luehmannii (lilly pilly)
* A Rabbiteye Blueberry (more or less evergreen apparently)
* Possibly a Sandpaper Fig? (any advice on this one in particular would be good)
* A loquat
* An edible lavender? English lavender (or are all lavender flowers edible)
Re: citrus, I thought of a Eureka Lemon which is meant to be more frost tolerant.
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers,
Paul
1 January, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Paul
Some possibilities for trees/bushes might include: pomegranate or chilean guava (berry). The pomegranate bush is attractive but make sure you get the fruiting one not the decorative. A friend grows chilean guava at the south coast but I think it can be also grown in canberra. The bush is not so dense but bunched up it can be clipped into a hedge shape and the berry is very tasty. Also good for jams.
Will the Lilly Pilly grow here with the frost? Possibly if there is some protection from surrounding growth that might be a go. Jackie French has written a lot about frost sensitive plants doing okay in a cold climate if planted as the understory. I have even heard of avocado being grown here successfully – there is one variety that is more cold tolerant and with some delicate care in the early years (plastic cover during winter) it can work apparently.
19 February, 2012 at 10:09 am
I’ve grown feijoa in my hedge, grows really well, doesn’t fruit however, no idea why. I’ve always wanted to try the lemon scented myrtle (backhousia citriodora) personally. My syzygium (australe I think not the wilsonii) grows really well in a pot in Red Hill, it even fruits, it used to be out in the open & had no troubles with the frost then. I only moved it because it was out of place. I’d imagine it would do really well as a hedge plant. I have a mixed plant hedge, the only problem with these hedges is plants that grow at different densities & rates so you do get uneven coverage.