Best Fertiliser for Hedges: How to Grow Dense, Green and Healthy Screens

Feeding your hedge with the best fertiliser for hedges is the key to achieving thick, green, and fast-growing plants that do their job—whether that’s providing privacy, softening fences, reducing wind, or shaping a formal garden border. No matter the variety, all hedges require consistent feeding to thrive.

Hedges are often planted closely in long rows, where roots compete for space, water, and nutrients. Over time, the soil around them becomes depleted. Without regular fertilising, even established hedges can develop pale leaves, leggy gaps, and weak growth—especially after trimming or drought stress.

This guide will show you how to choose the best hedge fertiliser, when to apply it for maximum results, and how to fix common problems like patchy or yellowing foliage. Whether you’re growing lilly pilly, viburnum, buxus (box hedge), murraya, or photinia, this is the essential care plan your hedges need.

Do All Hedges Need Fertiliser?

Yes. All hedges, from slow-growing formal shrubs to fast-climbing screening plants, need added nutrients—especially in nutrient-poor or sandy soils common across parts of Australia. Hedge plants typically need:

• Nitrogen (N): for strong leaf growth and a deep green canopy
• Phosphorus (P): for healthy root development and plant stability
• Potassium (K): for resilience against wind, dry conditions, and pruning stress