PlantFiles: Japanese Photinia, Red Tip Photinia, Red Leaf Photinia
Photinia glabra

This plant is frequently used in Portland as a very thick, massive hedge and along freeways, if that tells you anything. I have one and appreciate its stoic nature as an evergreen privacy buffer. The new red growth in spring is striking, but the red is more of rusty tone and not to my liking. It tends to clash with a lot of other plants flowering at the same time. So far none of the plants in Portland seem to be suffering any blights.

This plant is overused in albuquerque and easily grows to 15ft. They are very high maintenance with all of the leaf drop and pruning. They need to be pruned twice a year or the lose their shape and don't get as many red tips because the interior of the plant will turn to wood with no leaves. The scent is awful. The first day it's kinda nice and perfumey, but then smells like hot rotting trash or cat pee. I can't even go outside at night when they are full bloom. Hummingbirds, moths, and bees love this plant in bloom though.

It can take severe pruning and will grow back as long as sun hits the bare branch. Homeowners don't take care of them here though and they encroach property lines and look ugly when they get leggy. Letting them get over 12ft makes the tops die back.

I have this in the landscaping of my east facing yard. It receives about 2 hours of sun in the morning and about 1 hour in the afternoon and still thrives. It has grown quickly - from approx 24" to over 5 feet in two years. It looks lovely year round. The blooms last for over a month - around March - and smell wonderful. New foliage is bright red turning darker as the leaves mature to a nice deep green color. It stays green throughout my zone 9 winter. It survived a three day freeze and has survived 2 hurricanes, being uprooted during the second. We just put it back in the ground with a bit of fertilizer and it was fine.

In the past we have pruned the tips after blooming to encourage more of those brightly colored new leaves. This year we plan on pruning from the bottom up to give it more of a tree like appearance. If it works well I will post some photos.

We haven't had any trouble with fungus or insects although we have had those troubles with the Japanese Privit next to it. What else can I say - it has been a real joy to watch this plant grow.

Entomosporium leaf spot is killing these by the hundreds of thousands in Texas and other states! This plant should never be offered for sale~

Makes a nice hedge or a stand alone. Flowers are strong smelling when they bloom in April, in my area. They grow like crazy and can grow into a 25-30 ft tree but they look better when pruned. Good for screening or a hedge.

Some people have had trouble with them dying off from fungus but I just don't see that happen in my area. Might want to check if it's a problem where you live.