Tina

Photinia Fraseri

Red Robin; Christmas Berry

• 
  Winter interest
• 
  Easy care
• 
  Autumn colour

• Tina likes...
  • 
    A sunny spot

    She prefers lots of light, so try to plant her in a sunny spot. She'll tolerate a bit of shade, too

  • 
    Well draining soil

    She would prefer a free draining soil that also retains moisture. Try digging garden compost or well-rotted manure into her soil so it'll drain more easily.

  • 
    Pruning

    Give her a good pruning after growth season (summer) by cutting a few inches off her branches with a pair of sterilised shears or scissors.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Photinia Fraseri 'red robin'

  Nickname

  Red Robin; Christmas Berry

  Plant type

  Outdoor; evergreen

  Plant height (including pot)

  60-70cm

  Pet/baby safe

  Yes

  Nursery pot size

  23cm

• About Photinia fraseri

  Hailing from South and East Asia, Photinia fraseri has become one of the most popular ornamental shrubs on this side of world. It's no wonder why: it's a stunner. This evergreen shrub gets it's cute cultivar name 'Red Robin' because it's new leaves come out a fiery red before going green as they mature. In fact, it's botanical name comes from the Greek 'photeinos', meaning 'shiny' - a nod to the super-glossy green leaves. To top this off, this fool proof shrub gets frothy white flowers in early Spring, much loved by pollinators, and us. We love the way it brightens up our gardens for minimal effort.

  Photinia enjoy a sunny, sheltered spot but can tolerate light shade. If you keep your plant in it's nursery pot, it will stay quite small and unless you don't mind it growing long stems, it may need a light prune to keep it's compact shape. Regular pruning will mean more red leaves. It will need regular watering and feeding throughout the growing season to keep it happy and healthy.

  If you plant it in the ground Photinia can grow into a large freestanding shrub, or, by planting many of them next to each other, you can create a really neat hedge, providing a natural screen. If you're not planting your shrub in the ground, we recommend removing it from it's nursery pot and planting it up directly into a larger decorative pot. This will give it room to grow a really good root system and has the bonus side effect of meaning you won't need to water it as frequently. It will still need feeding and repotting after a couple of years to keep it happy though.