The Best Wind-Tolerant Hedges for Auckland

Auckland's southerlies and west-coast onshores do two things to a hedge: they desiccate young leaves on the windward side, and they snap or split branches that haven't had time to harden. Pick the wrong species in an exposed spot and you'll spend three years watching it struggle, then start again.

• Leaf scorch: Soft-leaved species like camellia and laurel brown out on the windward face.
• Wind rock: Tall, top-heavy hedges loosen at the root if the wind catches them before they're established.
• Salt drift: Inland-of-coast suburbs (think Greenhithe, Albany, Hobsonville) still get measurable salt in the air during big lows.

The four hedges below will give you the best long-term result on exposed sites.

• Griselinia littoralis — the benchmark. Tough, flexible branches, glossy leaves that shrug off wind and salt. Our top pick for any exposed Auckland boundary.
• Pittosporum tenuifolium — small leaves, dense branching, recovers fast from wind damage. Great formal screen on exposed ridges.
• Corokia (geenty's green / frosted chocolate) — wiry, low and unkillable. Ideal for low coastal hedging on the most exposed sites.
• Escallonia — old-school coastal hedge, very wind-hardy, gives you a flowering screen as a bonus.

We trim all four of these hedges right across the Hibiscus Coast, North Shore and west Auckland. They consistently outperform softer species in exposed positions.

• Camellia hedges — beautiful in a sheltered courtyard, miserable in a wind tunnel.
• Buxus (English box) — fine in sheltered formal gardens, but suffers in salt-laden wind.
• Laurel — big glossy leaves catch the wind and shred. Plant it inland or in a sheltered corner.
• Ficus tuffi in very exposed spots — it'll grow, but it needs shelter for the first two seasons to harden.

• Stake low and loose — let the plant flex. A rigid stake high up the trunk creates weak root anchorage.
• Plant tighter — 50 cm spacing for griselinia, 40 cm for corokia. The hedge protects itself as it knits together.
• Use a windbreak cloth for season one — a temporary 1.5 m shade cloth on the windward side cuts establishment failure dramatically.
• Mulch heavily — exposed sites dry out fast. 5–8 cm of mulch is non-negotiable.