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Caring for Photinia

Photinias are gorgeous evergreen shrubs that provide structure to any garden, a fun alternative to plainer hedging options. What sets Photinias apart are their young leaves and stems, which are a striking red that brightens up landscapes beautifully. These leaves turn green as they mature, but annual pruning will encourage the production of these beautiful new leaves. You can prune more regularly during the spring and summer growing seasons and each time be rewarded with a fresh flush of vibrant red growth!

Pruning Photinias is extremely important. Firstly, doing so will help it keep a formal, tidy appearance. But crucially, pruning Photinias regularly allows more sunlight to reach the centre of the plant, keeping it dry and allowing new healthy shoots to emerge. Another reason is disease prevention – Photinias are susceptible to leaf spot, where red or black spots appear on their leaves and can hurt the plant in the long term. If the inside of the canopy is humid, that can lead to plant diseases.

Here at Hopes Grove Nurseries, we stock a range of different Photinias, from hedging (of which there are many attractive varieties including the popular Red Robin and the even brighter red Camilvy) to pleached trees and topiaries. We have written a comprehensive guide to pruning Photinias, from when to prune Photinias, to how far back you should prune, to general pruning tips.

When to Prune Photinias?

We recommend that you prune Photinias once or twice a year. They do not need much trimming, but an occasional pruning session will promote healthy new growth and open the shrub up to the sun.

The absolute best time to prune Photinias is in early spring (around March), which marks the beginning of the period in which the plant will grow the most. If you prune the Photinia at this time, it still has plenty of the season to grow back stronger and fuller. This also gives new shoots plenty of time to toughen up before winter.

You could also prune in mid-June, around the time any flowers on the Photinia may be dying down. Pruning at this time is likely to generate a fresh growth of gorgeous new red foliage for you.

We advise that you do not prune Photinias after August at the latest, especially if you live in an area where frosts or freezes occur. Any resulting growth from your pruning will be too tender and young to survive the autumn and winter frosts, and you could be left with a bare hedge or tree until at least the following spring.

Can Photinia be “hard pruned”?

Hard pruning is where the plant is cut right back to the ground – Photinias are fine with this kind of severe pruning since they grow very rapidly in the warmer months. You can cut them back to about 60cm high and rest assured that it will grow back just fine as long as you do so in the spring, when it has plenty of time to recover.

General Tips for Different Photinia Varieties

Here are a few more things to consider before pruning Photinias:

  • We recommend using manual tools to do this instead of electric trimmers as it allows you to make cleaner, sharper decisions and avoid unnecessarily damaging young shoots. Electric trimmers can ‘bruise’ the foliage which, whilst it does not damage the plant, can result in unsightly torn and browned leaf edges.
  • Whatever tool you use should be thoroughly sterilised to prevent plant diseases, and any trimmings under the plant should be cleared up right away for the same reasons (any particularly nice trimmings could be used in flower arrangements!)
  • A good strategy to use while pruning Photinias is to focus on removing the older or more misshapen of two branches rubbing up against each other. By working this way, you can ensure you’re opening up space in the plant to improve air circulation and allow the sunlight in.

If you have any queries about when to prune Photinias, which varieties might be best for you and how to take care of them, do not hesitate to contact us.

More Photinia Hedging Questions