Gardens come in flavors. Details Landscape Art creates many different styles of gardens according to the style of the home, the tastes of the homeowner, and the nature of the property’s setting. Almost all gardens, however, have some basic requirements: privacy needs, an evergreen background for more colorful foreground plantings, and areas of both sun and shade. Enter pittosporum.
Pittosporum
Pittosporum varieties are valued mostly for their evergreen foliage and upright form. The flowers are generally insignificant, though many varieties bear clusters of small fragrant flowers followed by more conspicuous fruit.
Pittosporum tolerate full sun or partial shade and require regular watering. They are not deer resistant, however, and may occasionally be susceptible to aphids and scale insects.
A good landscape contractor usually refrains from plants that require constant shearing. If a plant grows too large, then we feel it is not the correct plant for the location. Occasional light pruning to shape is acceptable, as well as thinning dead interior branches.
Why We Use Pittosporum
Since land is at such a premium in Sonoma and Napa Counties, many homes are built on relatively small lots with adjacent homes very close by. Frequently a neighbor’s second-story windows are looking directly into the homeowner’s garden, creating a privacy concern.
Trees often grow too wide for a small residential lot, so a tall, relatively narrow screening shrub is called for.
This is where pittosporum excels.
There are three common species of pittosporum in our climate zone, with several varieties within each species.
Pittosporum eugenoides
One of our favorite screening hedges, Pittosporum eugenoides usually grows 20 to 25 feet tall and, with annual light pruning, can be maintained at 6 to 8 feet wide.
It has a light green crinkly leaf and fragrant yellow flowers in spring. There is also a variegated variety that remains somewhat shorter.
Pittosporum tenuifolium
Another useful screening shrub, Pittosporum tenuifolium is similar in size to P. eugenoides, but features dark stems and deeper green foliage.
One of our favorites is ‘Marjorie Channon’, which grows 10 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. The green leaves edged in creamy white make it an excellent background for reddish or purple foliage plants.
P. tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ is a dense compact variety that naturally forms a rounded shape about three feet tall.
Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’
‘Silver Sheen’ is an upright variety growing to approximately fifteen feet tall with small silver-green leaves on black stems.
‘Gold Star’ is a medium-sized compact shrub that matures at approximately six feet tall and wide.
Pittosporum tobira
Pittosporum tobira is a dense evergreen plant that can be grown anywhere from six to fifteen feet tall and wide.
It does not respond particularly well to shearing, but size and shape can be controlled by selective thinning and pruning.
The glossy dark green leaves are complemented by highly fragrant flowers with an orange blossom scent.
There is a lovely variegated form, and P. tobira ‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ is a compact two to three foot evergreen shrub useful as a foreground plant or low informal hedge.
‘Creme de Mint’ is even smaller and features attractive variegated foliage.
The Workhorse of the Garden
There are so many varieties, shapes, and sizes of pittosporum available that we seldom install a garden without using some of them.
Whether used for privacy, screening, evergreen structure, or contrasting foliage, pittosporum are truly a workhorse of the garden.