Photinia are revered for their brightly coloured new growth that stands out against the glossy, richly coloured, evergreen foliage. Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin' is undoubtedly the most popular variety so we offer it in a range of forms and sizes, but there are also some equally worthy, lesser known, varieties of Photinia available.
Consisting of about 50 species, Photinia are part of the Rose family along with Cotoneaster. They typically have glossy evergreen foliage and brightly coloured new growth, with all the varieties we offer being no exception. The most commonly used variety in gardens is Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin', with the superb colour and texture all year round making it suited to being used as a feature tree or screening.
For front gardens, borders and patio pots, the smaller compact size of Photinia x fraseri 'Louise' and Photinia serratifolia Crunchy make them ideal. They both feature particularly eye-catching foliage, with 'Louise' having a variegated pattern and Crunchy having an unusual undulated texture.
Corymbs of flowers typically appear in early summer for further interest and are occasionally followed by small fruits that birds enjoy eating.
Our Photinia is pot grown and so can be planted at any time of year. They are relatively easy to look after and tolerate most soil types, though some species grow better in acidic to neutral soil. They grow well in full sun to partial shade, but do prefer a sheltered position where young shoots will be protected from cold and drying winds.
Requiring only minimal pruning, they can be pruned more frequently to encourage the brightly coloured new growth and to keep hedge forms looking smart. Overgrown Photinia can cope with hard pruning in Spring to get them back in shape.
The name Photinia comes from the Greek word for shiny, in respect to their leaves. Their common name is Christmas Berry tree because of the small fruits that are sometimes present from autumn until Christmas. Photinia × fraseri varieties are also known as Red Tip Photinia.
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