South Florida Hedge Plants

Aloha Everyone!
I thought today would be a good day to do a post about some wonderful plants to use in a hedge and/or for privacy screening.  As you know, depending on the amount of  sunlight, water and location, will determine which plant species to use.  Hopefully when you are done reading this post you will have a better understanding of which plant(s) will work best for what you.  If you have the room, I love layering ground covers with larger shrubs for a more natural feel.  Just remember the saying "select the right plant for the right place" and you'll be alright!  So let's get started...

SMALL HEDGE PLANTS ( 4-8 ft high )

Blue Sage (eranthemum pulchellum) - 4-6 ft high by 3-4 ft wide with branching habit, needs some light shade, gorgeous blue flowers
Brush cherry (eugenia myrtifolia) - is easy trimmed to 5-6 ft but grows to 12-15 ft, easy to shape or topiary, grows in full sun & part shade, compact grower with dense small leaves growing upright (columnar), drawback- can have sections that die out.

Cocoplum (chrysobalanus icaco) - available varieties are the red tipped, green & horizontal, grows up to 10-15 ft high by 6-7 ft wide but can be keep at 5-6 ft high by 3-4 ft wide, looks better when hand pruned as the hedger will eviscerate the beautiful leaf structure, has a wide branching growth habit, grows in full sun to part shade, can make jams with the fruit, long living plant (+20 yrs).

Copperleaf varieties (acalypha wilkesiana) - there are probably a hundred different varieties with different growth habits & light requirements but most prefer full sun to keep the aphids & scale away, many will max out at about 10-12 ft tall but are super easy to hand prune while the majority stay with in 6-8 ft high, the leaves are a gorgeous collage of colors which is their trademark so keep the hedgers away, leaf colors are constantly changing, they have a wide growth habit so will need room.

Croton (codiaeum variegatum) - another plant with easily over a hundred different varieties with different heights, growth habits & light requirements but most prefer part sun/part shade to stay viable, they never seem to do great in full sun, this is another plant with incredible leaf shape & coloration, leaf colors are constantly changing, long living plant (+40 yrs).

Day blooming jasmine (cestrum diurnum) - average height of 6-8 ft by 4-6 ft wide with branching growth habit, needs full sun to promote flower growth that smell like honey, has small white bouquets of flowers, a nice hardy shrub full of leaves, flowers attract butterflies, birds eat berries.

Dwarf yaupon 'Schillings' (ilex vomitoria) - in it's dense trimmed form it max's out at around 3-4 ft high by 3-4 ft wide but if let go can get a bit larger, grows in full sun, used primarily as a square or round shaped plant in formal style landscapes but can also be trimmed to create unique shapes. dense growth habit with very small leaves & twig type branches, our neighbor's looks like waves.

Firebush (hamelia patens var. patens) - average height of 12-15 ft high by 8-10 ft wide, easy to be keep trimmed but looks it's best if left to grow naturally, prefers full sun to promote full growth habit & keep pest away, if grown in shade it tends to be more "branchy" than leafy & scale will be present (but so will the lady bugs), beautiful red/orange/yellow flower clusters, this is one of our best natives for butterflies, birds, lady bugs, great plant for screening, drawback is the branches break easily in high winds.

Gardenia varieties - different varieties grow to varying heights but most average at about 5-6 ft high by 4-5 ft wide, easy to kept trimmed by hand pruning so the new growth where the flowers grow at the ends do not get cut off, grows in full sun but doesn't like to be dry or too wet, likes acidic soil so my Mom used pickle juice, heavy feeders so likes composted rich soil & consistent fertilization, drawback pests like scale, white fly which cause black sooty mildew can be a problem.

Green buttonwood (conocarpus erectus)
Green island ficus (ficus macrocarpa)

Indian hawthorne (raphiolepis indica)

Ixora varieties
Jamaican croton (graptophyllum pictum)
King's mantle (thunbergia erecta)

Plumbago (plumbago auriculata)

Porterweed (stachytarpheta jamaicensis)

Star jasmine (jasminum multiflorum)

Simpson's stopper (myrcianthes fragrans)
Silver buttonwood (conocarpus erectus sericeus)

Spanish stopper (eugenia foetida)

Viburnum suspensum

White stopper (eugenia axillaris)

Wild coffee (psychotria nervosa)

MEDIUM HEDGE PLANTS (8-14 ft high)

Beautyberry (callicarpa americana)
Brush cherry (eugenia myrtifolia) - is easy trimmed to 5-6 ft but grows to 12-15 ft, easy to shape or topiary, grows in full sun & part shade, compact grower with dense small leaves growing upright (columnar), drawback- can have sections that die out.

Copperleaf varieties (acalypha wilkesiana) - there are probably a hundred different varieties with different growth habits & light requirements but most prefer full sun to keep the aphids & scale away, many will max out at about 10-12 ft tall but are super easy to hand prune while the majority stay with in 6-8 ft high, the leaves are a gorgeous collage of colors which is their trademark so keep the hedgers away, leaf colors are constantly changing, they have a wide growth habit so will need room.

Croton (codiaeum variegatum) - another plant with easily over a hundred different varieties with different heights, growth habits & light requirements but most prefer part sun/part shade to stay viable, they never seem to do great in full sun, this is another plant with incredible leaf shape & coloration, leaf colors are constantly changing, long living plant (+40 yrs).

Elderberry (sambucus simpsonii)

Firebush (hamelia patens) - average height of 12-15 ft high by 8-10 ft wide, easy to be keep trimmed but looks it's best if left to grow naturally, prefers full sun to promote full growth habit & keep pest away, if grown in shade it tends to be more "branchy" than leafy & scale will be present (but so will the lady bugs), beautiful red/orange/yellow flower clusters, this is one of our best natives for butterflies, birds, lady bugs, great plant for screening, drawback is the branches break easily in high winds.

Green buttonwood (conocarpus erectus)

Indian hawthorne (raphiolepis indica)

Ixora varieties

Jamaican caper (capparis cynophallophora)
King's mantle (thunbergia erecta)

Marlberry (ardisia escallonioides)

Myrsine (myrsine guianensis)
Myrtle of the River (calyptranthes zuzygium)

Orange jasmine (murraya paniculata)

Podocarpus (podocarpus macrophyllus)
Silver buttonwood (conocarpus erectus sericeus)

Simpson's stopper (myrcianthes fragrans)

Southern wax privet (ligustrum japonicum)

Spanish stopper (eugenia foetida)

Sweet viburnum 'Awabuki' (viburnum odoratissimum var. awabuki)

Walter's viburnum (viburnum obovatum)

White stopper (eugenia axillaris)

TALL HEDGE PLANTS ( 10-20 ft high)

Jamaican caper (capparis cynophallophora)
Japanese blueberry (elaeocarpus decipiens)

Marlberry (ardisia escallonioides)

Myrsine (myrsine guianensis)
Myrtle of the River (calyptranthes zuzygium)

Orange jasmine (murraya paniculata)

Podocarpus (podocarpus macrophyllus)

Sweet viburnum 'Awabuki' (viburnum odoratissimum var. awabuki)

Sweet viburnum (viburnum odoratissimum)

Walter's viburnum (viburnum obovatum)

Yaupon (ilex vomitoria)

I will be adding to this along the way so please keep checking back for new updates and links!

Happy Gardening Y'all and Mahalo!

Best wishes,

Sheri

xoxo