Common Red-Tipped Photinia x. Fraseri
You see it everywhere in the South, used as a screening hedge or all by itself. Some folks love them and have no complaints but I notice that photinias are increasingly recommended against because they can suffer from leaf spot fungal disease, especially in the warmer regions. (Though where I live in Maryland is pretty warm and the photinias in my neighborhood look great, so I might give photinia a try myself.)
Details
- Grows to 15 feet tall and wide.
- Hardy to Zone 7 (and 6, with protection).
- Grows fastest and is less disease-prone in full sun.
- The varieties ‘Indian Princess’ and ‘Red Robin’ are reported to have better resistance to disease. ‘Red Robin’ is also more compact.
- Very drought-tolerant.
- Leaf spot fungal disease can appear in spring and fall when the weather is cooler, especially when it’s rainy.
Care
- To improve resistance to disease, prune for create better air circulation by thinning, and avoid shearing. Pruning is best done in winter when the shrubs are dormant.
- Also, siting photinia where air circulation is best helps (though that doesn’t help your already-huge shrubs, does it?) This means not planting them too close to each other, as is often done to create hedges.
- Another prevention tip is to avoid getting water on the leaves. Water the root zone at ground level only.
- Likes moderately acidic soil, so feeding with Hollytone is suggested, though not in summer.
More Great Info in Print
- Gardening with Conifers
by Adrian and Richard Bloom - Confers for Gardens: An Encyclopedia
- A Garden of Confers
by Obrizok - Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs
by the best-known authority on the subject.
Photo credits: Red-tipped, and Photinia serrulata.
