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The late Christopher Lloyd, who gardened at Great Dixter in East Sussex, only realised how important foliage was in his latter years. His actual words were “it is an indisputable fact that appreciation of foliage comes at a later stage in our education, if it comes at all.” We all make the mistake of thinking that flowers are the be all and end all, but foliage is the warp and weft among the colourful threads. It holds it all together.

The White Garden at Sissinghurst, for instance, would fail to impress if it were not for the flattering green backdrop. Cool in summer and warming in winter and, without it, the sea of white flowers would look stark and glacial. After all, white is the hardest colour of all to place. The greenery also provides warmth and shelter and the winters in that part of Kent can be cold once the wind turns to the east – as it inevitably does. It’s worth saying that many evergreens, with larger, glossier soft-to-the-touch leaves, are not as hardy as those with needle-like foliage.

Foliage comes in many colours, other than green, and one of the best winter warmers is warm-red foliage, a rare commodity in the garden. Photinias, relatives of hawthorns, grow naturally in the Himalayas and Asia but most plant breeding has taken place in New Zealand. This is a rugged country where plants have to be resilient to strong winds and weather extremes. Photinia x fraseri is a New Zealand toughie. It’s one of those ubiquitous plants seen everywhere, but don’t allow familiarity to breed contempt. The red top growth glows in winter, especially after an early summer trim, and these red-leafed hybrid photinias are toughies.

‘Red Robin’ has been used in the woodland garden of the National Trust’s Knightshayes in Devon for many years. The glowing red foliage sets off the carpet of blue bulbs, blue wood anemones and miniature yellow daffodils to great effect. The Knighthayes’ photinias have been there for many years, but regular shaping has kept them bushy and shoulder high with plenty of fresh red shoots. Photinias also make excellent hedges and the pot-grown plants for Hopes Grove will soon settle in, because there’s no root disturbance.

‘Camilvy’, a newer hybrid, is considered an improvement on ‘Red Robin’. The quirky name was the brainchild of the Dutch Nurseryman who wanted to honor his two daughters Camily and Ilvy. The foliage is slightly larger than ‘Red Robin’ and it’s a brighter red. The great thing about ‘Camilvy’ is it produces extra flushes of deep-red growth throughout the growing season. The growth habit is tidier and more upright and it also has a stronger constitution.

If you have a small garden, or perhaps a balcony, opt for the more-compact form aptly named ‘Little Red Robin’. This will only reach 3 feet in height or 90cm. It could be used to form a low hedge in a small space, or it could be shaped into mounds and roundels, or you could grow it in large container. ‘Carré Rouge’ is a slightly larger photinia with narrower foliage. This accentuates the colour because there are far more new shoots. The blood-red colour persists for far longer and, because the leaves are smaller, it could be topiarised. Both would make ideal plants for smaller gardens. It can be trimmed down to just between 3 feet and six feet, almost 2m.

At the opposite end of the growth scale comes ‘Dynamo’, a fast-growing bushy photinia that could form a hedge up to eight feet high or 2.5m.  Whenever you’re aiming for a taller hedge, whichever plant you’re using, always allow the plants to get to within a foot of their desired height before topping them back. If you reduce their height too soon, plants put all their energy into bushing out.

The most recent photinia is ‘Louise’, and the foliage is quite chameleon like. The middle of the leaf is often a deep-green and this is surrounded by shades of red and the leaf in rimmed in cream-white. You get a mixture of wine-red, rose-pink, olive green with a hint of cream. Just like chameleons the colours change and morph together. Many variegated plants are weaker growers, but not so ‘Louise’. She’s bushy, vigorous and strong. Give her a late-spring trim and you’ll get better colour on the foliage.

The great thing about all these photinias is their ability to thrive in a range of soils, including chalky soil. Pittosporums, evergreens that grow naturally in Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan, are fussier. They need well-drained soil, although they are not fussy about pH or moisture. They are extremely wind-tolerant and they do not object to salt-laden winds, so they are often planted close to the coast. Although they don’t like cold and exposed positions, they are surprisingly hardy once established. It’s worth giving them a covering of fleece in winter, if you’re garden’s very cold though.

Their foliage and form are second to none, because pittosporums have wavy-edged foliage that’s spaced along black stems. The tiny, inconspicuous flowers are pleasantly scented on summer evenings, although we really grow them for their superb foliage. Flower arrangers love them! Pittosporum tenuifolium, a New Zealand native, comes in many forms and colours. If space is at a premium ‘Tom Thumb’ offers a contrast of light-green new leaves in spring rising above purple-black mature foliage. This slow-growing evergreen will reach three feet and it’s often planted on the corner of borders, placed in the same way as a box ball. It also makes a low hedge. Use 3 – 4 plants per metre that’s roughly a foot part.

‘Golf Ball’ is a newer, compact pittosporum which forms rounded shapes, so if you plant a hedge, it will be a series of architectural rounded shapes. These sculptured shapes look good throughout the year, but especially so in winter light. It will resemble cloud pruning, with no effort, because this is a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t need pruning.  Should you want to trim it, do so in late spring – once the worst of the weather has passed. The foliage is mint-green and the colour is better in brighter light. ‘Golf Ball’ needs good drainage and it won’t do well in exposed positions.  It will reach four feet in height in time.

‘Golden Ball’ was sport from ‘Golf Ball’. A sport is a new shoot that’s different from the others and it happens a lot in plants. The low, dense growth will add a shaft of sunlight in brighter areas of the garden, because the new growth is lime-green and the older foliage, a duller green.

‘Abbotsbury Gold’ was also a sport, found at Abbotsbury Gardens in Dorset. The black stems of ‘Abbotsbury Gold’ are a real feature and the new lime-yellow growth is veined. This can be trained into a hedge and, in time, it will reach between six and eight feet or almost 2m metres. It will also make a fine specimen and like most pittosporums it forms a columnar rounded shape. Trim lightly if needed in spring.

The eye-catching ‘Elizabeth’ has pick and cream leaves for the most of the year. However, when temperatures fall the foliage develops pink overtones so this is a very fine sight in the cooler months and the black stems also shine in winter light.

Pittosporums also come in shades of silver and the dark stems and small leaves of ‘Silver Sheen’ add movement and sparkle to the garden.  It is suited to a warmer site and will love a coastal position or milder locations. You will also need to prepare the soil well, for ‘Silver Sheen’. This moderate grower will reach 5m in height, so this is will make a substantial hedge.

Pittosporums and photinias are both fine evergreen plants and they both offer privacy and create shelter. However, their main contribution to the garden come in the quieter months, when there are few flowers. That’s when low winter sun slants through the garden, picking up texture and detail. Their presence offers another dimension, for without evergreen foliage, form and colour the garden would resort to bare earth and that’s not good for wildlife – or us.

About the Author

Val Bourne is a multi-award-winning garden writer, hands on gardener and committed plantaholic. She manages her third of an acre garden without using chemicals – something she has always believed in. Her last book The Living Jigsaw, is all about her eco-friendly garden. She has been interested in the natural world since childhood and has actively tried to influence gardeners to be greener in order to help the survival of our planet. Val has been judging RHS plant trials for the past 16 years and she appears in many publications, including The Daily Telegraph. Val is an Ambassador for The Hardy Plant Society. She actively supports nurseries and gardens in this country.

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