Hi I have just built my own home in vic, melbourne and desperately need to plant something to block the neighbours at all sides. My area is bottom fence 20 metres and two side fences at 14 metres. I ideally want something that will grow around 5 metres tall quite quickly over the next few years.. Any help please i have no idea...
Thanks
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Melbourne is the home of hedges. In older suburbs there are hedges
that are heritage listed and over 100 years old. The numbers of
species that can be hedged is quite staggering but I'd suggest you
take a tour of the older hedged suburbs and look for a hedge you like
and find out what species its made off.

Hi all. This is my first post here. I live in W.A., where the soil
is sand and the climate is said to be Mediterranean. Most
things grow well, although it has been a dry season here like
everywhere else.

I need exactly the same thing - quick growing trees (not just a
hedge) for privacy. Fiddlewood is one of the fastest, but it
does tend to get out of hand and need a lot of careful
pruning when it is older. I would like something that is
better controlled.
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Tfhere is a pittosporum called silver sheen and another called screenmaster. Both grow quite quickly. There is also Photinia Red Robin which has beautiful new red foliage.

Bamboo is a good quick growing screen, just make sure it is the clumping and not the running variety. There are lots of varieties of Clumping Bamboo from around 3m, some reach 30+m, they will reach full height in 2 or 3 years, have shallow roots, once stablished will handle it drier though will grow faster with water. Some varieties will take frost. Best of all, you can use any thinnings to make things for the garden or indoors. Just make sure you buy from someone who knows what they are talking about.Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad

You really must give one of the native lillipillis a go. After watching my neighbour (who overlooks me) quickly disappear from view (up to 1 and half metres growth in 18 months) I had to find out what he was using as the screening plant...i took an overhanging cutting to my garden centre and they identified it as a Sygiziam (sorry can't spell but common name is lillipilli). I thought i knew lillipillis but this one has lime green leaves tinged with red on new growth, and was the cultivar "Aussie South", but there seemed to be a large variety available...adapts to almost all soil types, can cope with full sun and part shade, can be trimmed into a neat hedge or left to form its natural shape. The garden centre had some trained into cone shaped topiary. I'll be planting this variety in the near future.

I've just been looking online and the best price I can find for bamboo that can stand -12degrees is $33 pick up so I would have to add freight as well would get too pricey for me.
I want to grow trees/shrubs/bamboo at the fence to the paddock which is 50m as a frost barrier and on the boundry that would be around 70m long, most of the wattle that were there are now gone.
I've got my eye on some oleander for the other boundry where the goats are, as this side never gets as cold being behind the dam.
I'll keep looking.....Nanango QLD

I looked at bamboo and it will cost me $40 a pot so I'm waiting till spring then I'll get one and see how it goes.Nanango QLD