Photinia fraseri
Red tip photinia
Common names: Fraser photinia, Red robin
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy with protection
- Pruning
- Mar–Apr
- Flowering
- May–Jun
Photo: Wouter Hagens · Public Domain · Source
Description
Photinia fraseri, commonly known as red tip photinia, is an evergreen shrub prized for its bright red flush that appears in spring and late summer, later maturing to a dark glossy green. It can be grown as a dense hedge or a solitary shrub, providing year‑round privacy. The plant produces small white flower spikes in late spring, attracting insects, followed by small red berries in autumn. Varieties such as ‘Red Robin’ are popular in garden trade for their compact, low‑maintenance growth. The plant is mildly toxic to pets and humans; leaves, seeds, and berries contain irritants that can upset the stomach. Avoid placing it where small children or animals can reach it, and wear gloves when pruning.
Care instructions
Prune twice a year: once in spring before new growth and again in late summer (around week 35) to renew the striking red flush. Water newly planted shrubs regularly until well rooted (1 to 2 years); thereafter, water only during extended dry periods. In very cold, windy sites, provide winter protection with fleece or straw for the first few years. Remove brown or spotted leaves promptly and ensure good air circulation to prevent fungal issues such as Photinia leaf spot. Apply a mulch layer around the root zone to keep soil consistently moist and suppress competing vegetation.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMay–Jun
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, nutrient-rich, loamy, humus-rich
Red robin likes a free-draining, nutrient-rich soil that reliably carries away waterlogging. A loamy, humus-rich garden soil with good structure suits it best, as does a sunny to semi-shaded spot with shelter from the wind. On pure sand or in hollows with standing water, it quickly sickens.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
In spring, red robin appreciates a dose of ripe compost, worked shallowly into the top layer of soil. A second, lighter dose of compost after the first flush of growth in May supports strong red leaf growth. Horn shavings scattered over the root zone act for weeks and suit its steady nutrient needs.
Pruning
Shaping in early spring before the new growth keeps red robin dense and encourages the popular red new foliage. You can thin it out if needed in late summer too, but then avoid a radical cut back, so that the plant can still ripen before winter. Dead or frost-damaged shoots are best cut back to healthy wood straight away in spring.
Overwintering
Red robin is sufficiently hardy in mild areas of Central Europe; in a sheltered spot without icy east wind, it comes through most winters unharmed. Young plants and freshly planted specimens get a layer of mulch over the root zone in the first winter and, in hard frost, a fleece around the crown. For container growing, the pot belongs in a cool, bright place, because the roots freeze through there faster than in open ground.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
The most reliable propagation is by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, about 10 to 15 cm long and cut just below a leaf node. Remove the lower leaves, insert the cut end into free-draining, sandy compost and keep it evenly moist. After several weeks in a bright, warm spot out of full sun, enough roots have usually formed. If you prefer to be more patient, layer a shoot close to the ground and leave it in contact with the soil for one to two years to form roots of its own before it is separated from the mother plant.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Red tip photinia yourself
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