Fast-growing plants

Looking to fill a space in your garden quickly with plants? Here are a few ideas. Gardeners and home landscapers often find themselves with bare spaces that need to be filled quickly. For example, you might have removed a ragged old plant and the empty hole left behind is an eyesore. Or perhaps you want to screen an old fence, metal shed, or a utility area where you keep bins and garden equipment.

So which plants are appropriate for filling these sorts of spaces quickly? First of all, it's important to remember that each climatic zone in the country has its own selection of plants that are suited to these conditions. And then there is soil condition and the aspect of the garden to consider.

If in doubt, seek the advice of a knowledgeable and experienced horticulturist in your area.

A number of native plants grow quite quickly, and these are usually suitable for gardens with well-drained soil. Many don't require much water to prosper. Native trees such as grevilleas, tea trees, melaleucas, bottlebrushes and many eucalypts grow quite quickly and will provide shade and beauty for years. Wattles also grow quickly, provide lovely flower colour and attract birds, but the downside is that they often only last 10 or 15 years.

Exotic trees that grow quickly include jacaranda, virgilia, cape wedding flower and black willow. Whether these trees thrive in your area will depend on local conditions.

Shrubs that grow quickly and fill smaller spaces include lantana, lavender, hebe, plumbago, abelia and daisy bushes. Oleander is another great example - it has lovely, shiny green leaves and bright pink or white flowers and is a popular plant Australia-wide. Fast-spreading ground covers that are perfect for hiding bare patches of earth, for binding loose soil or for filling in rock gardens and new gardens include heliotrope, jasmine and star jasmine, ivy geranium, morning glory, snow in summer and creeping thymes.

Alyssum is another popular and fast-growing ground cover, ideal for sunny rockeries. It's also perfect for quickly forming borders and garden edging.

As for hedges, the ideal method of screening, try lilly pilly, pittosporum, photinimurraya and the old favourite, English box. These all grow relatively quickly and densely to hide an eyesore or protect your privacy.