Photinia x fraseri 'RED ROBIN'

Fraser’s photinia is an evergreen shrub or a tree, a cross between Japanese photinia glabra and Chinese photinia serratifolia. It was found in American town Birmingham in Alabama around 1940, and introduced to commerce some 15 years later named Birmingham. For some reason this name was soon dropped and USA was flooded with millions of plants of super attractive Fraser's photinia. Originally it was used as lush specimen evergreen shrub but soon after it became possibly the most common evergreen hedging shrub of the south, and as it was trialled far north it reached states in USDA zone 7 and even 6 where its distribution stopped. Now it is also offered as a beautiful evergreen standard tree.

Red Robin is a New Zealand selection of Fraser's photinia which is considered the first and also possibly the most successful Fraser's photinia variety of 20th century. After 20 years from its introduction it received the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the English Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for great performance, beauty, and durability. It produces larger and glossier leaves with a more striking shade of red when they emerge. They are evergreen, 10-15 cm long, 4-8cm wide, highly glossy, dark green when mature, and completely cover the plant. In late spring older plants produce profusion of dense corymbs composed of tiny white flowers followed by small, firm, spherical fruit on long stalks in autumn. Imagine a small evergreen tree with glossy red leaves at the entrance of your home, or at a gate, or simply anywhere in your garden where it will offer a new horizon, another story above smaller shrubs, making a showy display as well as serving as a dense screen against unwanted looks from neighbouring windows.

Standard trees of Red Robin photinia are usually available as half-standards with stems of about 100 cm, and high standards where the trunk is at least 1.8-2m tall so you can walk under the tree. The growers commonly prune their crowns into balls and it is only your decision if you want to keep this shape or leave it to its own devices. Pruning, trimming, or clipping can be done almost anytime from spring till midsummer. It readily regenerates also from old wood which makes this red-leaved jewel indestructible.

Fraser's photinia is not very fussy about soil type, it only hates waterlogged and compacted ground. For best results grow it in moist but well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil. In order to retain moisture and to keep the ground from temperature swings in winter, keep it mulched all year round, especially during the first years after transplanting. Trees need a good support for 2-3 years and their stems will benefit from jute protection in winter and early spring. Photinia is quite drought tolerant when fully established but might suffer during dry winters of zone 6 so an extra watering is advisable once a month in frost-free periods if the ground is dry and not frozen. It is reliably hardy to -24°C without damage, and has withstood a few degrees lower with some damage of previous year's growths and foliage but always regenerated from healthy wood.

Last update 16-11-2019