Clerodendrum inermeSeaside Clerodendrum

If a hedge has to stand within sight of the sea, Clerodendrum inerme is usually the answer. It is a scrambling evergreen shrub of Indo-Pacific strand vegetation, with glossy leathery leaves, white flowers carrying long projecting stamens, and an unusual willingness to be clipped into anything from a 400 millimetre kerb edge to a 2 metre screen.

Salt spray, sandy soil, wind and heat leave it unmoved, which is why it is planted so heavily along Gulf corniches and resort frontages.

Specifications

• Height1 to 3 metres, or maintained lower as a clipped hedge
• Width1 to 3 metres
• Native toCoastal Asia, the Pacific Islands and northern Australia
• FoliageGlossy, elliptic, leathery leaves in opposite pairs; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers sandy, free-draining coastal soils and tolerates saline and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and hot coastal regions

Additional Features

• FlowersClusters of white tubular flowers with long projecting stamens through the warm months, lightly fragrant
• UsesClipped hedging, coastal screening, dune stabilisation, kerb edging and roundabout mass planting
• SpacingPlant 0.5 to 0.8 metres apart for a hedge, or 1.5 metres apart as an informal mass
• Low MaintenanceClip two or three times a year; recovers well from hard cutting back
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient, though whitefly can appear in still, humid conditions
• Salt ToleranceWithstands direct salt spray and saline irrigation, which is the basis of its use on coastal frontages
• Drought ToleranceEstablished plants hold condition on minimal irrigation

Seaside Clerodendrum is the default clipped hedge for hot coastal work, and very little else does the job as cheaply.