Hedges That Thrive in Auckland Clay

Auckland clay holds water in winter and shrinks in summer. Species with shallow, fibrous roots cope. Species that need fast-draining soil rot out at the crown in their first wet winter. Pick a clay-tolerant species and the soil becomes a strength — clay holds nutrients better than sand ever will.

• Griselinia littoralis — happy in clay, sand or anything in between. Our number-one recommendation for boundary hedges across Auckland.
• Pittosporum tenuifolium — tolerates clay well as long as the planting hole isn't a bathtub.
• Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) — actually prefers heavier soil. Big, formal, traditional hedges.
• Viburnum tinus — happy in damp clay, great mid-height screen with spring flowers.
• Photinia 'Red Robin' — robust in clay, dramatic red new growth.

• Don't dig a deep hole and fill it with potting mix — you've made a bathtub. Water will pool around the root ball and rot it out.
• Plant slightly proud — keep the top of the root ball 20–30 mm above the surrounding soil so excess water drains away.
• Break the clay with gypsum, not sand — sand turns clay into concrete. Gypsum flocculates clay particles and improves drainage long-term.
• Mulch heavily — keeps the surface cool in summer and stops the clay cracking around shallow roots.
• Plant in autumn or early spring — gives roots time to establish before the soil either bakes or floods.