Eugenia Hedges and Topiary, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
For a dense, clipped hedge or topiary in Southwest Florida, Eugenia is the glossy, small-leaved evergreen that takes frequent shearing well. Left alone it grows 12 ft or taller, so most people trim it to 5 to 8 ft for privacy. It wants sun and drainage. Two selections come in 3 gallon pots, and our crew plants them along your line.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Moderate; drought tolerant once established, dislikes standing water
- Salt:
- Low to moderate; keep out of direct salt spray
Eugenia sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Variety or form | Sizes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Eugenia | 3 Gallon | The standard 3 gallon Eugenia for a clipped hedge or screen, with small glossy leaves and red new growth. |
| Eugenia Monterey | 3 Gallon | A named Eugenia selection, also in 3 gallon, used the same way; treat it like standard Eugenia for spacing and trimming. |
Eugenia in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 12 to 20 ft tall and 8 to 15 ft wide unpruned; clipped hedges are usually held at 4 to 8 ft
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate; drought tolerant once established, dislikes standing water
- Salt tolerance
- Low to moderate; keep out of direct salt spray
- Cold tolerance
- Cold hardy here; a hard freeze may burn tips, which usually recover
- Growth rate
- Moderate to fast
- Spacing
- 3 to 5 ft apart for a hedge
- Florida native
- No
- Botanical name
- Syzygium paniculatum (Eugenia myrtifolia)
Where Eugenia works in a SW Florida yard
Eugenia suits tidy, formal edges: a clipped privacy hedge along a property line, a green wall behind a pool deck, or a pair of topiary forms at an entry. New growth flushes red or bronze before turning glossy green.
Set the hedge in full sun, 3 to 5 ft apart, and 3 ft off walls so you can trim both sides. Ixora, hibiscus and gold mound make good companions in front.
- Formal clipped hedges
- Privacy screens
- Topiary and pots
- Sunny property lines
How our crew plants it
Space holes 3 to 5 ft apart for a hedge, each about twice the pot's width, and keep every crown even with the soil. Eugenia dislikes standing water, so raise the row on a low berm on wet lots.
Backfill with native soil and soak the row. Lee and Collier let a new row be watered beyond the two assigned days while it establishes.
Care after planting
- Shear lightly and often in the growing season to keep a dense surface, and save the heaviest cut for spring after flowering.
- Give it a slow-release shrub fertilizer in spring and another dose in early fall, which keeps you clear of the summer nitrogen and phosphorus ban.
- Sanitize pruning tools between plants with a bleach or alcohol solution to avoid spreading fungal problems.
- Water new hedges regularly until the first rainy season; established plants handle drought but not standing water.
What to watch for
- Scale and mites can infest the foliage and twigs, so check leaf undersides and treat early.
- Guava rust shows as yellow powdery patches on new growth, and branch dieback can follow, so prune out affected tips cleanly and avoid overhead watering.
Eugenia questions we hear
How far apart should I plant Eugenia for a hedge?+
Plant 3 to 5 ft apart. At 3 ft, 3 gallon plants knit into a solid screen sooner, and at 5 ft the hedge takes longer but each plant gets more room. Keep the row at least 3 ft off walls and fences so you can trim both sides.
How fast does Eugenia grow in Florida?+
UF/IFAS rates growth as moderate. In full sun with regular water, plants set at 3 ft usually knit into a solid hedge within a few seasons. In shade it grows slower and thinner, and it needs trimming through the growing season to stay dense.
Does Eugenia need a lot of trimming?+
Yes, if you want a formal look. It grows year-round and fills back into a bushy shape if you stop. Shear lightly every few weeks in the growing season, or let it run as a looser screen with one or two trims a year, and sanitize the tools between plants.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Eugenia
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
Also worth a look
More like this
All hedges & shrubs
The service
Hedge and privacy screen installation
Planning a whole yard
See it in 3D first
We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.