10 Hedging plants for tropical gardens

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​Tropical gardens are well known for their vibrant colours and bold, jungle, like, foliage. Consequently, there is little desire for tightly clipped hedges or rectangular shapes or forms.

The jungle garden really needs to be wild and untamed, however, there are many scenarios where a tropical garden may need some form of hedging. This is especially so in smaller gardens where boundaries and structures need to be covered in foliage.

Consequently, most of the best hedging plants for tropical gardens will be evergreen! Hedges can be used to block bad views, form journeys and create enclosure.

In this article I will list and summarise 10 of the best hedging plants for tropical gardens.  
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1. Cherry laurel

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Cherry laurel is a popular and robust evergreen hedging plant native to South Eastern Europe. This tree has large, glossy, green, leaves which have a lush and exotic feel to them.

​It can provide the perfect, light, green backdrop to other tropical looking plants foliage and flowers. These trees are extremely hardy and tolerant of various growing conditions. 
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2. Sweet box

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Sweet box is a compact, evergreen, shrub with dark, glossy, green, leaves. It can form very fine textured hedges which have an exotic look to them.

During late winter they erupt into masses of delicate white flowers which have a delightful scent. This shrub is more than happy in shady conditions and likes a humus rich soil. 
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3. New Zealand Broadleaf

​This less well known, medium, sized, tree is fast growing and makes fantastic, evergreen, hedges for tropical gardens.

The leaves are oval with a glossy feel and a dense growing habit. It has been said the foliage looks more like a tropical indoor plant than an outdoor specimen. This hedging species is easy to grow and fully cold hardy. 
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4. Spotted Laurel

Also commonly known by its Latin name, Aucuba japonica is an impressive, tropical looking shrub. The Spotted laurel can grow in full shade and is tolerant of poor soils.

​However, it does like a moist but well drained soil especially in areas with heavy frosts. Its evergreen foliage is also complimented by purple flowers followed by bright red berries. 
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5. Red Berberis

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Also known as the Japanese Barberry, Red Berberis is a small, deciduous, shrub with radiant, red, foliage. This shrub has thin but spiny stems which are laden with red berries during the autumn.

Berberis is a small shrub effective for low hedges and will provide vibrant colour to tropical gardens.
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6. Laurustine

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Native to the Mediterranean Laurustine or 'Viburnum tinus', is a compact, evergreen, shrub. With dark green, glossy leaves it can make the perfect back drop to tropical foliage.

In summer it produces clusters of attractive white flowers followed by small purple fruits. This shrub is also very hardy and adaptable.
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7. Red tip Photinia

​​Also known as Photinia ‘Red Robin’, this shrub is extremely popular and decorative as an ornamental shrub.

​Fresh, new, growth appears as a bright, red, colour which contrasts the rest of the green foliage. If grown as a hedge the continuous clipping causes a wall of red during the growing season. 
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8. Japanese camellia

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Also known as the common Camellia, this evergreen shrub provides an extremely exotic and tropical feel.

This makes it the perfect hedging species for a tropical garden with glossy, green, foliage and rose like flowers. These can be grown as a remarkable looking, flowering hedge in the correct conditions. 
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9. Common Lilac

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Lilacs are large, attractive, shrubs which originate from South East Europe and Asia. With glossy, green leaves and masses of bright purple they have a very, exotic, look.

​Consequently, these can make excellent hedges for tropical style gardens. However, they will lose their leaves in winter so are not evergreen. 
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10. Mexican orange blossom 

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Also regularly referred to by its Latin name Choisya, this shrub is an extremely popular for its evergreen foliage.

​Not only does it have clusters of pleasantly fragranced flowers it has very attractive leaves. The leaves have a lobed and exotic looking shape making them a perfect hedging plant for tropical gardens. 
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Thank you for reading our article on the best hedging plants for tropical gardens.

If you need tropical garden services including garden design or landscaping,contact us here.

We will link to some of our other tropical garden articles below you may find relevant. 
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