Japanese Pittosporum

A borderline hardy pittosporum for mild areas, Pittosporum tobira is a small to medium-sized, slow-growing, evergreen shrub with a dense, compact, rounded habit. The rather long, elliptical leaves are deep green. In late spring and early summer, the shrub carries creamy-white, honey-scented flowers which soon turn yellow, sometimes followed by reddish berries in autumn. Japanese pittosporum is a low maintenance shrub needing minimal pruning, drought-resistant once established, but it is not for colder areas. It can be grown under glass in soil-based compost in full light. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered
Soil: Any well-drained soil
Position: Best in full sun
Season of interest: All year; late spring to early summer in particular
Hardiness: Borderline hardy (to -5ºC)
Height: 8-13’ (2.5-4m) Spread: 5-’ (1.5-2m) in 10-20 years

Photos by Kenpei, Σ64, and Jean-Pol Grandmont, cropped, and licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 and 4.0.