GARDEN TALES: When to prune Photinia x faseri 'Red Robin'

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

When to prune Photinia x faseri 'Red Robin'

This post is especially for Brendan who likes the red spring leaves of Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin':

Common Name:Christmas berry
Genus: Photinia
Species: x fraseri
Cultivar: 'Red Robin'
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Moist, Well-drained/light
Height: 400cm
Spread: 400cm

Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin' is one of my favourite shrubs, and it gets its name from the sealing-wax-red young growth. In that respect it resembles pieris, but it doesn't need lime-free soils, you can grow it on any soil. It grows very fast, but doesn't really need feeding unless you're growing it in a small container. It's a vigorous shrub, quite hardy, tough and easy, grow it outside.

You can prune it as soon as the colour in the young growth begins to fade away in the spring, and that will produce more red growth. If you keep clipping it you'll get red growth right through the year into the autumn. It's evergreen, and very easy to shape. You can train it onto a single stem as a standard, simply reduce the small side shoots until you have a central stem, keep that growing up with all the foliage at the top until it reaches the height you want, and then just maintain a bowl, pyramid or whatever shape you want.