| Description | Ficus microcarpa hillii 'Flash'
-One of the fastest growing hedges
-Evergreen and no mess from seeds or flowers
-Dense and lush Australian native
-High tolerance of poor conditions | Echium candicans
Also known as Pride of Madeira, (Echium candicans syn. Echium fastuosum) is a stunning architectural plant! The large spires of blue purple flower spikes with delicate pink stamens throughout Spring and Summer provide the perfect highlight above the silvery foliage.
This hardy perennial loves a full sun or part shade position. Drought tolerant frost hardy and grows well in dry climates. Ideal for adding the wow factor to your garden. Echium tends to last only 3-5 years before looking a bit raggedy, but plants will usually drop a few seeds in this timeframe and a new one will replace the older version. Can be grown in a large tub to create a magnificent highlight. | |
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Why buy ficus hedging plants?
One of the fastest no mess hedges, Ficus 'Flash' are chosen for their rapid growth, lavish green foliage and high tolerance of poor conditions. These gorgeous Australian natives produce no flowers and seeds therefore no mess! And their upright, dense habit lends them to being used as not just solid hedging but as topiary, standards and pleached hedging.
Ficus plants for pleaching
The beauty of the pleached hedge is that it is very good for small gardens as you can do a 2 or even sometime 3 layer effect. It allows for a garden bed underneath the hedge, maximising your gardens beauty, colour and depth.
It’s like having a 2 or 3 story garden as you really get the 2 story effect which is becoming more and more stylish in the modern garden. Pleaching creates another dimension to your garden!
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The secret with pleaching is that ficus are evergreen and pleach very easily, and are very lush and are fantastic for doing a pleached hedge.
Also as Ficus hedge plants have gotten a bit of a bad name for growing an aggressive root system. The pleaching effect actually keeps the roots under control and allows for you to grow these Ficus in very confined spaces and gardens. These days with the rapid growth of our cities, lots of people are having smaller and smaller gardens!
See our Ficus Hedging & Screening Factsheet here for more about the different Ficus varieties! | | |
| Additional information |
| Other Common Names |
Evergreen Fig
|
| Origin |
Australia, Pacific
|
| Plant Type |
Tree
|
| Leaf Drop |
Evergreen
|
| Sunshine |
Afternoon Sun, Full Sun, Part Shade
|
| Tolerances |
Frost Sensitive, Pollution Tolerant, Poor Soil Tolerant, Salt Tolerant, Heat Tolerant, Drought Tolerant
|
| Soil Type |
Clay, Loam, Loamy – Clay, Sandy – Loam, Well drained
|
| pH |
Acidic, Neutral
|
| Water Requirement |
Moderate
|
| Fertilise Me |
December, February, January, March, November, October, September
|
| Fertilizer Frequency |
Monthly, When needed
|
| Best time to plant |
All Year
|
| Planting Distance |
1 every 80cm, 1 per 1.5 metres, 1 per metre
|
| Max Height |
10m
|
| Max Width |
3m
|
| Growth Speed |
Fast
|
| Prune Me |
3-5 times a year, Only in the warmer months
|
| Size Maintained at |
2m
|
| Flowering |
No
|
| Foliage Colour |
Green
|
| Fruit / Seed |
No
|
| Toxic To |
Dogs
|
| Uses |
Balcony, Fenceline, Hedging & Screening, Standard, Topiary
|
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