Genus: Photinia

Again, according to the label, any good well-drained soil. I just mixed lots of soil improver/compost and some fertiliser into the soil before planting and it seems to have done okay.

thanks can I pick your bain 1 more time, wht type of soil is the best for them?

This particular variety, if left unpruned can grow to 5m x 5m (according to the label that came with it.) According to my plant book it takes about 5 years to get to about 6ft x 6ft. I planted mine 2 years ago when it was less than 1ft tall and it's now about 3 ft tall.

how fast and tall do they grow??

yes they are one of my favorite shrubs, they do also flower, but mine did'nt last year, and as it was only planted last spring will have to wait and see if it does this year, maybe different variety to the ones i have seen - still i don't mind if it does'nt i just love the colour of the leaves.

they are so colourfull this time of year......................

Thank you Andrea, the flower certainly looks familiar!

Hi spritz, can't find it anywhere in my tree book, but then if it is a Photinia, it proberly wont be listed in there as it is more of a shub. but i think quite a lot of large shrubs have the potential to grow to tree size if given the right conditions and left long enough with out cutting back hard. i have just been reeding the comments on your question and a few others have had the same thought. and if AndrewR thinks it Photinia i would say it proberly is - he is never usually wrong on garden plants.lol

Hi, Photinia does have a white flower/cluster, I have posted a picture of it on my homepage in photos, please take a look and if you recognize it then that may be your plant. Photinias are big shrubs and can grow over 10ft so this is not unusual. There are a few different breeds of photinia, Red Robin being the most popular, the picture I downloaded was photinia serrulata (Chinease Photinia), hope this helps
Andrea

majeeka. that was the only thought I had about what this tree might possibly be - do they grow as big, though? I guess I'll have to wait until it flowers (which it has done each year) to post another photo.

No, it's not flowering yet - I will have to wait a few months for that!

hi Spritz, i know that this might sound daft but it looks very much like a Photinia, i have seen big ones before but never tree size. but i know that you do have a Photinia don't you so i gues you would know if this tree was one. well you've got me on this one! i will however consult my books just incase, - my mothering law gave me a book on trees last year, - i'll go dig that one out! it's vert pretty whatever it is!

Is this flowering now? Can you do a close-up of a flower?

Never seen a silver leafed hebe! Very nice

It's a Hebe - with silver leaves as you can see - but it didn't have a plant label, so I bought it anyway to make a temporary centrepiece - in case it grew too big or didn't last long.

Looking good to me Spritz! What's the plant in the centre?

Thanks Dawn! It can have one last chance...:-)

I work at a nursery, yes you can prune it but I am advised to not hard prune as you may shock it into dying. Prune 50% of it the first year and then the remainder after it has started to show new shoots lower down. If you don't prune them they will not produce new red leaves.

The RHS Encyclopaedia (my bible!) suggests that normal pruning consists of removing misplaced or crossing shoots to maintain a permanent healthy framework in late winter or early spring while the shrub is dormant. Although the species plant can reach 15 feet, 'Red Robin' is described as 'compact'

I read that this shrub can get up to 15' if left to it's own devices in favourable conditions. It tolerates moderate pruning or shearing which encourages the classic red tips

Thanks - will try it and if no response it may have to be replaced ...:-( P.S. Does this mean that I should not prune it at all??

My book on pruning states these shrubs often throw up strong growths from the base and these can be used to replace old branches. It also says that old shrubs do not produce much new red growth and the plant loses strength. I would be inclined to give it a heavy feed in the spring and see how it responds