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Planting a new native hedge

Hi all, been a busy week or so getting this garden 'built'.

It'll be a work in progress as I add lower plantings but for now... Murraya hedge about 30m long & about 1m out from the boundary fence and a row of magnolia 'Little Gems'.

Took me quite a while as I was filming as I went so will post a link to the video once I edit it.

A lot of soil prep involved. We had odd sort of soil here. Quite deep top-soil in most spots, at least 400mm. It looks like a fine soil but it actually has a very high silt/clay component so it goes very gluey if you work it at the wrong time. It's also really biologically deficient so I had to turn it all over with a rotary hoe & then rotary hoe through 4cu/m of chook poo. Neighbours loved the smell…
Big, aheeemmm, debate, we’re having now is about the edge along the drive. I want to leave turf about 1.2m wide for anyone that may back off the drive (our drive is about 50m long) as I reckon I’d rather them back onto grass than a garden bed that they may sink into… some have other thoughts however 😉

Anyhews, thought you may like to see the progress. We will eventually be building loads more garden areas here, we’ve only been in this place under 2-years, and as we’ve renos planned building gardens is unwise…

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Comments

Jason

Thanks for sharing @Adam_W. Very satisfying project I'm sure. Looking forward to seeing the video.

How tall will the hedge be?

Jason

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/4534#Comment_4534

No worries @Jason

Beauty of Murraya (Murraya paniculata for the technical minded) as a hedge is that you can trim it to a hedge of virtually any height.
We like our neighbours so still want to be able to say 'Hi!' over the fence so I'm thinking about 1.2m at this stage.
Personally it's one of my fave hedges as it grows well from full-sun through to part-shade, has beautiful perfumed white flowers and can flower 3, 4 or more times a year.
Fun fact too... Murraya is actually an Aussie native. This can be handy if you have a local Council that insists on X-number of natives in a landscape planting.

aly

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/64416#Comment_64416

The garden looks fantastic @Adam_W. Magnolia's are great in any garden.

How large is your yard? Sounds like you have plenty of space if the hedge is 30m and the drive is 50m 🙂

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94843#Comment_94843

Hi @aly,
Yes, I love magnolias, especially the evergreen ones like Little Gem but I like them planted en masse which I've never had enough room to do until now.
We have loads of space, our block is around 1.3 acres of mostly lawn, so gardens will be a work in progress for years to come.

aly

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/113894#Comment_113894

So nice to have that much space, you'll have to keep us all posted on your progress!

Weithehellnot

Re: Finished first garden area

Hi my first time here thanks for the informative content. We are looking at planting a hedge around our horse stable area. Do you know if Murraya is safe around horses?

thanks

Helen_B

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/7132#Comment_7132

I am not sure about this plant re horses but the below link might be a useful resource to assist.

https://www.horsecouncil.org.au/plants-poisonous-to-horses-1

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/7132#Comment_7132

Hi @Weithehellnot

Thanks 😁 & it's my pleasure.
Murraya is in the plant Family Rutaceae which is the same group as citrus trees - lemons, oranges, limes etc.
I would assume that citrus are okay for horses? Probably not overly palatable but certainly not toxic so shouldn't be a problem.
I have read that in some cultures it's used as a traditional medicine for its mild analgesic properties.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/7132#Comment_7132

Hi @Weithehellnot,

Great to see you join in the discussion on Workshop and get such prompt and helpful replies. Feel free to post again anytime you need a hand with anything around the house and garden. We have helpful members sharing advice and inspiration on the site every day.

Welcome,

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/65730#Comment_65730

Many thanks for joining in the discussion on Workshop @Helen_B. Great to have you as part of the community. We are looking forward to reading about your own projects and plans soon. Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site.

Jason

How is the hedge looking now @Adam_W?

It would be fantastic to get an update as you can see by the viewcount that this has been a very popular project with the Bunnings Workshop community.

Thanks again for sharing.

Jason

mich1972

Looking great @Adam_W !!! Love Murraya’s and Magnolias 😊

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/12534#Comment_12534

Well it's been an interesting & expensive exercise @Jason and actually proves the point of knowing your conditions...
We hadn't experienced a long, wet period in our time here before I planted this hedge & row of magnolias. Ended up the area they are in has a very high water table so become almost boggy after extended wet. May well have been a spot where there was a natural stream before development.
Most of the magnolias and a few of the murrayas ended up almost floating out of the ground. When I pulled them out to try & save them their planting holes were filled to the top with water! This issue is then amplified by the area being extremely dry & quite hot during dry periods. Absolute extremes.
As a consequence I lost all but one of the magnolias and a few of the murrayas...
I haven't replanted the magnolias but what I did for the murrayas I lost was to add a raised planting mound and then put new plants back in. They have now established quite well and will catch-up with the first round of planting soon enough.
Now it turns out I will likely be lifting the whole hedge-row as our neighbours have plans to build a very unsightly wall & carport that will need taller screening so I'm planning on adding a row of clumping bamboo and then I'll replant the murrayas in front of that.
Photo below of how it's looking now. Needs a haircut but the larger murrayas are in flower so will wait until they've finished (I love the perfume of them).

Messy & desperately in need of mulching but can't do much at the moment been so busy with work & renovations and then we've had a very wet summer & autumn and I try to avoid walking around on garden beds too much when they're wet.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68785#Comment_68785

Many thanks for the update on your hedge @Adam_W. I'm sorry to hear about the issues, but it looks like you've got that sorted now. Great idea on the clumping bamboo to screen out the neighbours build. I'm currently growing several in pots to prepare for an inevitable two-storey build going in next door. They will be over-looking our courtyard, and the bamboo will assist with some privacy.

Mitchell

Lockie

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/97350#Comment_97350

When is the best time to prune and shape the marrayas? We have not really pruned our marraya for years and have grown to 5 meters. We intend to prune down to 3 meters high (including the bottle brush) as they block the winter morning sun into the yard. Welcome any hints on pruning.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/115518#Comment_115518

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Lockie. It's a pleasure to have you join us and many thanks for your question on Murraya pruning.

Let me mention @Adam_W so he is alerted to your question.

Pruning Murraya's on a regular basis will help bush the plant out and pruning in autumn will produce good flowering the following spring. As you're looking to do a bit of a hard prune I'd recommend waiting for @Adam_W's expert advice for the right time to do that.

We look forward to hearing all about the projects and plans around your house and garden and encourage you to let us know anytime you need assistance or have something to share.

Mitchell

StevieB

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/125645#Comment_125645

Hi @Adam_W,

When you jump on to answer @Lockie's question, it would be fantastic if you could update us on how the hedge is doing since the last update. Have you added the bamboo and replanted the Murrayas? We'd love to see the progress.

Stevie

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