My TIPS on growing Photinia “Red Robin” available at Ramesa Nursery $5 each in tube-stock sized pots.
I’m always mindful of using tough and hardy plants, as the frosty winters we experience here at Gordonbrook on RAMESA Farm can be quite challenging.
One of my favourite shrubs for hardiness (besides Viburnum tinus) is “Red Robin” (Photinia x fraseri). This plant has so many great qualities. As well as being evergreen, it adapts very well to various soil types and can be used as a feature shrub, grown in drifts or for hedges.
I find one of the most striking features of the “Red Robin” shrub is its vibrant foliage. At the moment in the Nursery even the outer leaves of the tubestock sized plants are showing off their colour. The young leaves of the shrubs are a beautiful vivid red gradually maturing to deep green as the season progresses. This wonderful colour change not only enhances visual interest throughout the year but also adds a splash of colour to the garden.
“Red Robin” is also highly adaptable to various growing conditions. It thrives in a range of soil types, including clay, loam, and sandy soils, both acidic and alkaline. My garden is generally a sandy type and Ph neutral, though I have gradually added organic matter to improve the structure and water holding capacity with manures, rock minerals and mulching.
The resilience of “Red Robin” allows it to be planted in diverse locations which is always a winner in my mind. It can be easily grown in sun or part shade. Being tolerant of dry and frosty conditions too, it makes gardening in our South Burnett region so much easier. It has a nice dense growth habit for creating private garden spaces and defining property boundaries. The plant’s fast growth rate ensures that it quickly establishes as a wonderfully substantial hedge with the potential to reach a height of around 3 m (depending on how you prune and maintain your plants).
“Red Robin” is a great shrub that attracts many insects, which is beneficial to the garden. In my front garden, we have a variety of birds and have Double-barred finches nesting in the Photinia “Red Robin” which is really wonderful to watch and knowing that we have provided habitat.
In my opinion, “Red Robin” is a wonderful choice as a hedging or single feature plant; with its beautiful appearance, adaptability to various conditions and its hardiness. I love the splash of vivid red colour as well as its appeal to the birds and pollinating insects.
“Happy Gardening” everyone.
Kind regards, Romaine
RAMESA Nursery 163 Findowie Rd Gordonbrook
0401 289922