Another reason for choosing quick-growing plants is when a rainforest garden is desired! Fast-growing species are known as nurse or pioneer plants. They are chosen to be able to withstand sun and wind and tall enough to shade and force young plants upwards.

The nurse plants may be chosen to be permanent or short-lived and removed after a number of years when other larger trees are providing more permanent shelter.

Some fast-growing plants are useful for quick screening to give protection and privacy to a pool or a newly-landscaped outdoor entertainment area.

When choosing a fast-growing plant remember that a fast-growing tree or shrub will either grow very large as do some eucalypts and casuarinas, or will have a limited life span as some wattles. Progress depends entirely on suitable climatic zones, soil conditions and correct position in the garden.

Quick-growing natives:
Wattles
Bottlebrushes
Grevilleas
Melaleucas
Tea-trees
Many of the eucalypts
Umbrella tree

> Eriostemon myoporoides is an especially favoured native, ornamental, shrub that will quickly grow to 2m. Delightful white, star-shaped flowers appear throughout winter and spring.

Natives: Fast-growing, but long-lived trees:
> Brush box, Lophostemon confertus.
> Silky oak, Grevillea robusta.
> White cedar, Melia azedarach.

Exotics: Showy fast-growing trees:
> Purple orchid tree, Bauhinia variegata, for warm climates.
> Jacaranda the beautiful deciduous for use in small or large gardens.
> Virgilia, aptly called tree-in-a-hurry, as it can grow 2m in the first season; handsome mauve, pea-shaped flowers and thrives in most situations, but has a limited life.

Shrubs: Easy care, fast-growing:
Abelia
Cassia
Hebe
Lantana
Lavender
Plumbago
Oleander
Spanish broom

For shade:
> Yellow flowering Reinwardtia indica for bright winter colour.
> Purple mist flower, Eupatorium megalophyllum, as a large background plant for concealing fences.

Tip: One easy way to fill comparatively large bare stretches of garden is to grow clumps of marguerite daisies. They are excellent long-flowering subjects and come in white, cream, yellow, lavender and pink. They look extremely pretty and make excellent cut flowers.

Ground covers:
Heliotrope
Snow-in-summer,
Cerastium tomentosum
Convolvulus mauritanicus

Quick-growing spreading plants are ideal for softening edges. While they're growing, fill spaces with pebbles.

Wattles

• The Sydney golden wattle, Acacia longifolia, is one of the quickest-growing, medium sized species that will give beauty and privacy to a new garden in a very short time. It can grow up to 3m in a year, eventually reaching its expected 5-6 m.
• The Queensland silver wattle, A. podalyriifolia, is a beautiful early-flowering plant. It grows up to 5m, has attractive silver foliage and bears masses of golden blossoms from early June.
• The popular Cootamundra wattle, A. baileyana, is worth considering for the larger landscape where it will quickly reach 8m. It has lovely fine grey foliage and profuse golden flowers in late winter.
• The golden wreath wattle, A. saligna, which quickly grows into a small tree to 8m, is ideal for a fast and showy display.
  
  A. elata is a magnificent tall tree which is long-lived. It grows rapidly to about 20m and carries pale lemon blossoms during summer.
  
  Care and maintenance
  Pruning of fast-growing plants should be done in small stages during the growing season, rather than hard cutting into the plant after it has grown out of hand. When young, all wattles benefit if you prune the faded flowers immediately after bloom.
  
  Extend the life span of wattles by controlling pests like borers. Look for tell-tale signs of little piles of sawdust around their holes on trunks and branches. Prod the holes with a piece of flexible wire to squash or dig out the grub. You can pour a few drops of methylated spirits or turps into the holes to force the grub to emerge. The hole can then be plugged with wood putty.
  

Source:Gardening Made Easy (Murdoch Books)