7 bushes for a south-facing garden

Elaeagnus x ebbingei or Ebbing's oleaster

L’Eleaagnus x ebbingei is a classic for trimmed hedges or windbreaks. Evergreen and well-suited to pruning, this hybrid oleaster stands out for the beauty of its foliage, which lasts throughout the winter months. It boasts dark green leaves with metallic reflections on the top and silvery undersides. This bush adapts to everything! Enjoying the sun, it fits perfectly in any seaside or dry garden, fearing only heavy, waterlogged soils. It is among the most drought-resistant shrubs, tolerant of pollution, sea spray, and strong winds. It has a bushy and dense silhouette, reaching 2 to 4 m in height in all directions once mature.

Provided you do not prune it too severely each year, you will enjoy its discreet autumn flowering of creamy white, delightfully fragrant blooms and its small edible fruits that are delightful in jams.

Hardy down to -15°C in perfectly drained soil, this oleaster is best suited for mild climates. Prune it regularly to maintain a lovely bushy habit and, importantly, the desired height.

For a beautiful effect in a hedge, alternate the species of Eleagnus or pair it with Escallonia and Photinia.

Eleagnus x ebbingei

Pittosporum tobira

The Pittosporum tobira is a dense evergreen bush, always lush and green, emblematic of coastal or Mediterranean hedges. With its very elegant, naturally rounded silhouette and glossy green, leathery foliage, it makes an excellent choice for hedges, where it forms a dense bush 4 to 5m high. In May, it is covered in white flowers with a delightful, powerful orange blossom fragrance.

A bit tender, it is hardy down to -5°C and should be grown sheltered from prevailing winds, in full sun. Well-suited to pruning and resistant to sea spray, it will create beautiful hedges by the sea or in a dry Mediterranean-style garden alongside oleanders, oleaster, and callistemons.

Pittosporum tobira

Ceanothus Concha

The variety ‘Concha’ is one of those evergreen Ceanothus that boasts glossy green foliage all year round and is not afraid of sun or drought. It provides a permanent backdrop of dense foliage even in winter. Its lovely rounded and flexible habit, moderate size (2.50 m to 3 m in all directions), and generous flowering make it suitable for use in a flowering hedge. In spring, it produces clusters of shiny dark blue flowers that are fragrant.

This is a sun-loving bush that produces the maximum number of flowers in dry soil, requiring only a stony and poor substrate, even slightly calcareous. However, with hardiness down to -10°/-12°C in well-drained soil, it is more sensitive than deciduous ceanothus and will be vulnerable to severe frosts north of the Loire or to the east. In these regions, provide it with a sheltered spot from cold winds, against a warm wall facing south, for example.

To reduce the branches and maintain a nice shape, you should prune after flowering.

It can be placed in a free-flowing flowering hedge alongside Buddleias, shrubby cistus, or strawberry trees in mild climates.

Ceanothus arboreus ‘Concha’

Griselinia littoralis

The Griselinia littoralis is another evergreen bush that withstands summer drought and sea spray well. These qualities have made it essential for windbreak hedges in our coastal gardens, earning it the nickname “Coastal Griselinia.” It quickly forms a dense, bushy shape (30cm per year), with glossy, apple-green foliage that is almost as wide as it is tall. It reaches a height of no more than 3m and a spread of 2.5m. The discreet yet abundant flowering in sunlight attracts pollinators.

It thrives in full sun to achieve beautiful flowering and enhance the shine of its foliage. In terms of soil, it prefers sandy, well-drained ordinary soils.

Hardy down to -10°C, it is a bush suited to mild climates and should only be grown in the South or along the coast.

To create a resilient screen against prevailing winds, it pairs well with callistemons, ceanothus, or escallonia for a persistent and flowering hedge for a good part of the year.

Griselinia littoralis

Euonymus japonicus

With its very dense and compact bush habit (measuring around 3 to 5 m in spread), its evergreen foliage, the Japanese spindle tree (Euonymus japonicus) is best suited for creating large decorative hedges all year round, whether trimmed or not.

It forms a well-branched bush with glossy, finely dentate bright green leaves. It will reach an average height of 3.5 m and a spread of 2.5 m if regularly pruned, more if allowed to grow freely. The insignificant flowering occurs between May and July, but it produces remarkably decorative pink and orange fruits in autumn.

This type of spindle tree is sensitive to severe frosts (-12°C) but will acclimatise well in less temperate regions than coastal areas, provided it is grown in full sun, in a well-sheltered position. It also dislikes overly hot and dry climates of the south, preferring soils that remain cool in summer.

It can be integrated into a hedge mixed with other evergreen bushes such as Eleagnus, evergreen Ceanothus, or Pittosporum, or can form a monospecific hedge.

Euonymus japonicus

Arbutus unedo var. Rubra

Native to the Mediterranean basin, this bush thrives in full sun and tolerates dry soils. With its decorative red berries and lush foliage that remains green and glossy all year round, the Arbutus unedo ‘Rubra’ is essential for completing a small free-standing fruit hedge in a dry garden. More compact and colourful than the species, it forms a bush composed of several trunks that do not exceed 2.50 m in height and 2 m in spread. From late summer to winter, it is adorned with small pink flowers. The edible fruits resembling strawberries, known as strawberries, appear a year after flowering.

Although hardy (down to -15°C), this southern bush prefers to establish itself in a mild climate; however, it can acclimatise in less clement soils provided it is planted in a warm, sunny, and sheltered position in ordinary (even slightly calcareous) well-draining soil.

In a well-oriented south-facing garden, it can form an original free-standing hedge in a group alongside other bushes such as Buddleias, Ceanothus, and Berberis.

→ to read more on the subject: “The Strawberry Tree: an edible fruit to discover

Arbutus unedo var. Rubra (© Leonora Enking), on the right the very ornamental fruits

Rhus glabra laciniata

Of a very accommodating nature, extremely hardy down to -28°C, the Sumac, Rhus or Vine-plant, thrives in full sun, sheltered from the wind, and is drought-resistant once established. This bush requires at least six hours of direct sunlight each day, which will enhance the sumptuous colour of its leaves. The Rhus glabra ‘laciniata’ is remarkable for its finely dissected foliage that literally ignites in autumn with a palette of vibrant hues. It can be planted in a hedge, providing a changing spectacle all on its own. While it may lose its leaves in winter, it remains attractive due to its stunning conical clusters of wine-coloured fruits that persist throughout the winter.

It grows quickly in any well-drained soil, reaching no more than 2.50 m to 3 m in all directions.

It will form a natural hedge alongside other trees with exceptional autumn colour, such as the Nyssa sylvatica and the Canadian Amelanchier, for example.

Rhus glabra ‘Laciniata’

For further reading

• Also discover our selection of 7 bushes for a garden in full sun