Acreage Landscaping: How to Use Hedging for Privacy & Protection

If you own an acreage property in South-East Queensland, you know that privacy, wind protection, and aesthetics all play a big role in creating a comfortable and beautiful outdoor space. Some property owners turn to expensive fences to block out nosy neighbors, reduce strong winds, or create a lush green backdrop. But the right hedging and screening plants can achieve all the same benefits while making your property more beautiful instead of sticking out like a sore thumb on the landscape.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Best hedging and screening plants for large properties

• How to choose the right plants for privacy, windbreaks, and beauty

• Fast-growing options to establish coverage quickly

• Low-maintenance native species for long-term success

• Best-practice maintenance tips to keep your hedges thriving for the long-term.

Let’s get started!

A formal square box Murraya hedge separates the manicured lawn from the wild bushland beyond.

Why Use Hedging & Screening on Your Acreage?

A well-planned hedging and screening strategy does more than just look great—it serves multiple practical purposes:

• Privacy – Keep prying eyes out and create a secluded retreat.

• Wind Protection – Shelter your home, gardens, and outdoor spaces from harsh winds and help protect against unwanted spray drift from neigbhouring properties who may be using synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fungicides

• Noise Reduction – Dense plantings can reduce road or neighbour noise.

• Wildlife Habitat – Many native hedging plants provide shelter and food for birds, bees, and other wildlife.

• Aesthetic Appeal – A well-placed hedge or screening row adds structure and beauty to your landscape.

• Food production - Integrate selected fruit and nut tree species to make your privacy hedge a source of food for your family.

Whether you need full coverage fast or a slow-growing but long-lasting solution, choosing the right plants is key.

A privacy screen of native shrubs and trees. No need for a formal square box hedge here. Habitat for native birds and beautiful flowers.

Step 1: Choose the Right Hedging & Screening Plants

Different plants work best for different purposes. Here’s a breakdown of the best options based on your needs.

1. Privacy Hedging for Acreage

If your goal is to block out neighbors or create a secluded outdoor area, choose dense, evergreen hedging plants that grow tall and thick. Avoid decidious trees if you want a year-round screen effect as they will lose their leaves in autumn and winter. You’ll notice that not all of the plant species below are traditional hedge species that are trimmed in square boxes 5-6 times per year. You can control the height and growth habit of most trees to create a dense privacy screen that blocks out neighbours.

🌿 Lilly Pilly (Syzygium smithii)
✔ Fast-growing, dense, and lush
✔ Glossy green leaves with colorful new growth
✔ Can be trimmed into a neat hedge or left natural

🌿 Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum)
✔ Hardy and fast-growing with thick foliage
✔ Great for creating a tall privacy hedge
✔ Handles drought and heat well

🌿 Blueberry Ash (Elaocarpus reticulatus)
✔ Fast-growing, evergreen, and dense foliage
✔ Beautiful pink or white flowers and small blue berries
✔ Grows up to 8-10m, perfect for screenin

🌿 Ivory Curl Tree (Buckinhamia celsissima)
✔ Fast-growing and evergreen with a bushy habit
✔ Creamy-white flowers that attract birds and pollinators
✔ Grows 6-8m, great for mid-sized screening

🌿 Tulipwood (Harpullia pendula)
✔ Native to SEQ, compact, and low-maintenance
✔ Ideal for small-to-medium screens (6-10m tall)
✔ Thrives in various soil types and climates

🌿 Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)
✔ Dense, evergreen shrub or small tree (4-8m)
✔ Fragrant leaves, attractive white flowers
✔ Ideal for hedging, windbreaks, and privacy screens

2. Windbreak & Shelterbelt Trees

If you’re in a windy location, planting rows of hardy trees can protect your home, garden, and livestock. The best windbreak species have strong root systems, dense foliage, and can withstand harsh weather. We recommend planting a staggered three-row pattern so that if a tree in one row dies it doesn’t leave a large gap in your privacy screen. Instead the other two rows of trees fill the gap and keep your privacy.

🌳 Sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana)
✔ Excellent windbreak tree with fine, needle-like foliage
✔ Grows tall and dense, reducing wind impact
✔ Supports native birdlife

🌳 Evergreen Ash (Fraxinus griffithii)
✔ Fast-growing with a wide, dense canopy
✔ Provides wind protection and dappled shade
✔ Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant

🌳 Queensland Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus)
✔ Sturdy, evergreen tree perfect for wind protection
✔ Handles dry and wet conditions
✔ Great for mixed shelterbelt plantings

3. Low-Maintenance Native Screening Plants

For a low-fuss solution that blends into the natural landscape, native screening plants require less water, fertiliser, and maintenance while still providing privacy and protection.

🌱 Coastal Banksia (Banksia integrifolia)
✔ Hardy, drought-tolerant, and fast-growing
✔ Produces striking yellow flowers for birds and bees
✔ Works well in coastal and inland areas

🌱 Callistemon ‘Kings Park Special’ (Callistemon viminalis)
✔ Thick, weeping foliage with red bottlebrush flowers
✔ Thrives in dry conditions and poor soils
✔ Ideal for wildlife-friendly hedging

🌱 Native Frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum)
✔ Fragrant yellow flowers and glossy green leaves
✔ Creates a soft, natural hedge
✔ Attracts native birds and pollinators

Step 2: Planting & Establishing Your Hedge or Screen

🌱 Spacing Matters:

• For tight hedging, plant 1–1.5 meters apart. Too far apart and you might have large gaps between trees. Too close and the individual trees may not grow big enough to form a privacy screen.

• For windbreaks and shelterbelts, space trees 1.5 meters apart in staggered rows.

💧 Watering & Mulching:

• Keep young plants well-watered in the first year. Depending on how much rainfail your property receives we’ll typically recommend a deep watering once a week for the first few weeks and then only if there’s a period of extended drought.

• Use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

✂ Pruning & Maintenance:

• Trim privacy hedges regularly to keep them dense. Trim little but often. If you leave hedges for too long they’ll get leggy. That is, all the leaves will be at the top of the shrub or tree and you won’t have any privacy on the bottom part of the tree.

Step 3: Additional Features for a Stunning Hedging & Screening Design

🌾 Underplant with Native Grasses

• Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) – Soft, flowing movement in the wind

• Lomandra (Lomandra longifolia) – Hardy, low-maintenance border plant

• Pennisetum (Pennisetum alopecuroides) – Feathery, ornamental plumes

💐 Add Color with Native Flowering Plants

• Everlasting Daisy (Xerochrysum bracteatum) – Long-lasting, golden blooms

• Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ – Low-maintenance, bright red flowers

• Blue Tongue (Melastoma malabathricum) – Beautiful purple flowers with lush foliage

Conclusion

A well-planned acreage hedging and screening design offers privacy, wind protection, and year-round beauty. By choosing fast-growing, native, and low-maintenance plants, you can create a lush and functional landscape that enhances your property.

🌳 Whether you need a thick privacy hedge, a windbreak to protect your home, or a natural native screen, there’s a perfect plant selection for your needs.

🚜 Ready to transform your acreage with expert hedging and screening solutions? Contact us today to find the perfect plants and design for your property!