Tender green evergreen leaves on an elegant, easily clipped frame, and small spring flowers that are shy rather than showy: pittosporum earns its keep as a hedge, as a standalone shrub or in a pot on the terrace. Give it full sun and well-drained soil — it disdains stagnant water — and it asks for little else.
| Name | Pittosporum |
|---|---|
| Family | Pittosporaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 ½ to 16 feet (2 to 5 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary |
| Foliage | evergreen |
| Flowering | spring |
The planting, pruning and care you provide this shrub will ensure the proper development of your pittosporum.
Planting pittosporum is best done in spring or fall for specimens sold in containers.
Planting can only be done in fall for plants purchased with their roots bare.
If part of a hedge, keep a distance of around 32 to 40 inches (80 to 100 cm) meters) between pittosporum plants to give each the space it needs.
Pittosporum asks for very little, but three jobs have to fall at the right moment. Here is the whole year on one line each.
| Job | Applies to | When | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | Plants sold in containers | Early to late spring, or early to late autumn | Sun-bathed spot, sheltered from cool winds |
| Planting | Plants bought with bare roots | Early to late autumn only | Well drained soil, never stagnant water |
| Pruning | Hedges, standalones and shrub beds | Late spring, once flowering has ended | Never in late winter or blooming is lost |
| Watering | Newly planted shrubs | Through the first growing season after planting | Regular watering for the first year |
| Winter protection | Potted plants and cold gardens | Before midwinter frost spells | Mulch the foot of the shrub |
Get the planting season and the pruning season right and the rest is mostly watching the foliage fill out.
Never at the end of winter, or its spring-blooming would be compromised.
Consequently, wait for the end of the blooming in spring to prune the pittosporum.
To prune a Pittosporum hedge:
Its elegant bearing, the tender green of its leafage and its nice blooming make this tree a “must-have” in our gardens.
It requires only little care and if you’ve got the knack for it, you can even shape it as you wish, it can be molded even into dreamy shapes…
In a hedge, as a standalone or in a shrub bed, Pittosporum is also perfectly suited to being grown in pots for your terrace, deck or balcony.
When the plant is potted, protect it from the cold for it to survive winter with no damage at all.
Pittosporum loathes deep frost spells, mulch the foot of the tree to guard it when winters are cold.
