Head-to-Head · Updated 2026
Clusia vs Areca vs Podocarpus
The three hedges that own SW Florida, compared the way we compare them in your driveway — growth, height, salt, maintenance, and what each actually costs installed per foot.
Every privacy consultation we run in Cape Coral ends up at the same three plants. All three work — the question is which one fits your line: how tall, how salty, how formal, and how fast. Here is the honest comparison, with our real installed pricing.
| Clusia | Areca Palm | Podocarpus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth rate | Fast — 2–3 ft/yr | Fast — 2–3 ft/yr | Moderate — 1–2 ft/yr |
| Realistic height | 15–25 ft (hold anywhere) | 20–30 ft — the tallest screen | 8–20 ft (sheared to spec) |
| Spacing | 3 ft on center | 4 ft on center | 2.5 ft on center |
| Salt tolerance | Excellent — canal & coastal | Moderate — canal ok, no direct spray | Moderate — a lot or two off the water |
| Sun / shade | Full sun to light shade | Full sun to part shade | Best shade tolerance of the three |
| Maintenance | 1–2 trims/yr | Cane cleanup 1–2×/yr | Shear 2–3×/yr for formal lines |
| Hurricane record | Excellent (Ian-proven) | Good — flexes, sheds leaflets | Excellent — dense, low sail |
| The look | Dense, waxy, tropical-formal | Soft, feathery, resort tropical | Fine-textured, formal, architectural |
| 7-gal installed / plant | $118 | $128 | $118 |
| ≈ Installed per foot (7-gal) | ~$39/ft | ~$32/ft | ~$47/ft |
Installed prices are our live catalog pricing (delivered & planted) and per-foot figures use each species' standard spacing. Full size runs on each species' cost page.
Which One Should You Plant?
Pick Clusia if… (most Cape Coral lots)
Your line gets full sun, you are anywhere near salt water, and you want the least maintenance per foot of privacy. Clusia is the default for canal lots, seawall runs, and anyone who wants to trim twice a year and otherwise forget the hedge exists. It also took Ian better than any hedge we install. Weakness: deep shade — it thins out under heavy oak canopy.
Clusia installed per-foot pricing →Pick Areca if… (height is the problem)
A two-story house or a road bed looks down into your yard. Nothing else we sell puts 20 feet of soft green between you and the neighbors. Arecas also fill faster per dollar than anything at the 4-foot spacing. Weaknesses: direct salt spray burns them, and the clump gets 5-8 feet deep — do not plant them tight against a walkway.
Areca screen installed pricing →Pick Podocarpus if… (the look is formal)
You want a sheared, architectural hedge at a fixed height, the line runs through part shade, or the strip is too narrow for clusia's depth. Podocarpus is the hedge that looks like it came with the house in Old Naples. Weaknesses: the slowest of the three, and it hates wet feet — swale bottoms and low spots kill it.
Podocarpus installed pricing →Hedge Comparison FAQ
What is the best privacy hedge in SW Florida overall?+
Clusia, for most lots — the best combination of density, salt tolerance, storm survival, and low maintenance. Areca wins when you need height above 12-15 feet; podocarpus wins when you want a sheared formal hedge or are planting a narrow side yard.
Which hedge grows fastest?+
Clusia and areca are effectively tied at 2-3 feet per year in our climate; a 7-gallon row of either reads as privacy in 18-24 months. Podocarpus is the slow one at 1-2 feet per year — buy it bigger or buy it patient.
Which hedge is cheapest per foot?+
In the same container size, arecas usually price lowest per foot because they plant at the widest spacing (4 feet vs 3 for clusia and 2.5 for podocarpus). The live per-foot numbers on this page come straight from our current catalog pricing.
Which hedge handles salt on a canal lot?+
Clusia, and it is not close — thick waxy leaves that shrug off spray. Areca and podocarpus are both moderate: fine on typical canal lots, but not for direct open-water or Gulf-front exposure.
Can I mix species along the same line?+
Yes, and we often do: areca at the back corner where height matters, clusia along the sunny salt-exposed run, podocarpus where the line passes a narrow walkway. The seams disappear within a season or two.
Keep Reading
Still Torn? We'll Look at the Lot.
Send your address and a photo of the line — we'll tell you which species we would plant at our own house, with a written installed price. Free, within 48 hours.