Growing Pittosporum: Tips at a Glance
Deer-resistant, fast-growing, and low-maintenance: what's not to love about evergreen pittosporum shrubs and small trees? If you live in a mild climate (USDA zone 8 or warmer), consider using this hedging plant as a privacy screen or an alternative to a fence.
- Type Shrub or tree
- Lifespan Long-lived evergreen
- USDA Zones 8-11
- Light Sun
- Companions Azalea, Loropetalum
- Design Tip Foundation screen
- Form Clipped or shaggy
- Best Use Fence alternative
- Peak season Year-round
Pittosporum: A Field Guide
Evergreen shrubs (or small trees), pittosporums are an excellent alternative to boxwoods in warm climates. Fast growing and uncomplaining, pittosporums respond well to clipping, shaping, pruning, and training of nearly any sort.
From small-leaved hedging varieties (such as P. tenuifolium ‘Silver Sheen’) to hardy specimen shrubs (P. tobira), pittosporums offer useful solutions in the garden: they can hide (or replace) ugly fences, provide privacy between small neighboring lots,and be shaped into spheres, cones, columns, or any other topiary you fancy.
Tip: Pittosporums are warm-climate plants and depending on the variety will be hardy evergreens in USDA zones 8 to 11—but in colder regions you will instead have to turn to such shrubs or trees as Boxwoods, Privets, Hornbeams, and Arborvitae.
For more ideas, see Hardscaping 101: Hedges.
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