How to grow Lilly Pilly Backyard Bliss as hedge?

[SkittlesPeaches]

Hello Community! I have reviewed some of the other posts on hedging Lilly Pilly & have a different question I couldn’t solve. I am a novice gardener and I planted 12 lilly pilly backyard bliss back in November so this is 11 months growth! I have tip pruned them and pruned a few of the longer branches only as I was trying to get some height. I think I have inadvertently sent a few of the growing out instead of up. My aim is to grow this to about the gutter edge to provide a privacy screen between my yard and the neighbour but first I want to thicken it into a hedge. I have two questions, how much should I prune from the top to get this more into a hedge (I was thinking about 1/3rd) & do I simply cut horizontally across the tops or will this result in sideways not upward growth? Second question how do I get the gaps to fill where indicated in the bottom. Thanks everyone

  

[JacobZ]

Hi @SkittlesPeaches,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your questions about your Lilly Pillys.

You’ve made a great start. Your Lilly Pillys look healthy and well on their way to becoming a solid hedge.

To prune Lilly Pillies for height, the key is to encourage dense growth around the main stem, without cutting the main stem until it has reached the desired height. Instead, just tip-prune the side shoots and any smaller branches near the top. This encourages bushiness without slowing the plant’s vertical growth.

To fill in the gaps at the bottom, give those areas a light prune too — even if it feels counterintuitive. This will encourage new shoots from lower down. 

Also, make sure the plants are getting enough light and water evenly along the row; sometimes gaps form because of shading or uneven moisture.

With regular light pruning every couple of months during the growing season, your Lilly Pillys will fill out into a lush, thick privacy hedge. The key is patience and commitment; it won't happen overnight.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob