Denhamia bilocularis (Maytenus bilocularis)
Family: CELASTRACEAE
Spring brings us flushes of pretty new leaves on many native trees and shrubs. This wild plant was responding beautifully to some h
eavy pruning (implemented by the cows over the fence).It has been suggested as a good native replacement for those photinia hedges we see springing up all over the place because of its equally pretty show of red leaves.
It won’t grow as fast as a photinia, but once established, a slower-growing plant does have a considerable advantage as a hedge, in that it is more easily kept to a neat shape.
Hedge orangebark will, if left alone, eventually become a small tree, and can grow as an understory plant. However, it makes such a good dense screen if grown in full sun and kept pruned, that this may be the best way of using it
in a garden.It has the additional attractive feature of yellow, bird-attracting seed capsules in late summer.
Faster growth would certainly be achieved with watering and fertilising - but like so many of our local natives, this plant can survive and look good through the heaviest drought, with no watering ever again, after its first few months in the ground.
4 comments:
Thank you for posting this. I want to establish a fence-line shield of dense but native plants that will be easy to maintain, grow into a relatively inpennerable barrier and not exceed 2 to 3 metres in height.
I want to do this so that it can stand in place of a fence and provide a barrier for my dog so that we can use the front garden without worrying about him straying onto the road. - I can't afford the costs I've been given for actual fencing so something of this sort seems idea, however I would also welcome any alternative suggestions.
thanks again for posting.
roger
Hi Roger.
I have a dense hedge of it. It does need to be pruned once a year to stop it getting too high, so I prune it at a height that is easy for me to reach, which would do the job for a dog.
A dog would be able to creep under it, however. Perhaps you could put in a second row of something like Lomandra longifolia, to prevent this. It gets up to waist height in a year or two, and makes a dense little hedge if planted at 1m intervals.
Trish
Patricia,
Thank you for that advice. I really do appreciate it. If it is not too much, could I ask you, is this a plant I could find as tube stock in a local nursery or online? If you have a recommendation I would appreciate it as I haven't had a lot of luck with those I've contacted. That may, of course, be my rough looks and Yorkshire accent - I don't know. Thanks again.
roger
Hi Roger
The best source of both plants is probably the Crows Nest Community Nursery, which specialises in plants native to the Toowoomba Region. It opens every Thursday from 8.00am to 1.00pm.
It can be a good idea to contact them first by ringing the Toowoomba Council and asking for the nursery manager, who would be able to tell you exactly what is in stock. The nursery depends of donations of local seed to grow its plants, so the stock has its ups and downs.
They also take orders, so you could ask for plants to be put aside for you when they are grown, if not there already.
Trish
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