Photinia Red Robin Care Guide (Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’)

Often having colourful foliage displays in spring, summer, or autumn, photinias are low-maintenance trees or shrubs. Along with red berries, they also produce clusters of tiny white flowers. Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin,’ the most widely grown variety, is praised for its eye-catching vibrant red new leaves.

The group of plants known as photinias is native to Asia and North America. It was in 1943 when Photinia x fraseri was first found as a seedling in Birmingham, Alabama’s Fraser Nurseries that it was given its current name, Photinia x fraseri. The particular hybrid “Red Robin,” which was created in New Zealand, is by far the most popular Photinia. It’s an evergreen shrub with rich red young leaves..

It can resist temperatures as low as -13°C virtually anywhere in the UK. It is resilient down to a few degrees lower in shielded positions.

Along with it’s colourful young foliage it also produces clusters of white / cream flowers every year.

Planting locations and types of gardens that this plant is suited for:

• A low maintenance garden
• Screening and hedging

How To Plant A New Red Robin

The best time of year for planting photinias is autumn through spring, unless the ground is frozen or waterlogged. However saying that they can actually be planted all year so long as the soil is kept moist around the roots.

Here are some steps you can follow to make sure your Photinia Red Robin plant is planted correctly and in the best location:

• If you are going to plant this plant, make sure it is in full sun to partial shaded position, they usually only flower in sunny conditions. You should avoid planting it together with two walls or fences due to the fact that it needs some air circulation in order to thrive, even though it will thrive against a wall or fence if planted against it. 
• It is always a good idea to mix in plenty of well-rotted compost or aged manure to the area if the soil is heavy or if it is not free draining.
   
• It is recommended that you dig a hole twice as wide as the rootball.  

• The root ball of the plant should be placed into the hole so that the soil is as deep as it was in the pot. The soil should be filled in gently but firmly around the root ball. Make sure you water well to settle any surrounding soil around the rootball.

Red Robin Hedge

When looking to create a hedge your photinia red robin hedge plants should be spaced at least 75cm / 2ft apart in order to grow as a dense hedge. They should also be spaced at least 60cm / 2ft away from walls and fences.

Red Robin hedges may lack moisture in close proximity to walls and fences since the base of walls and fences receives less rainfall than in an open setting. Red Robin hedges don’t prevent intruders from entering your property

After settling in, Photinia Red Robin will take care of itself with little maintenance.

Where To Buy Photinia Red Robin:

You can buy your Photinia Red Robin from one of the trusted online retailers listed below.

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Watering Needs:

• During the first two years after planting, water the plants regularly
• Except in exceptionally hot and dry spells, they should not need additional watering once established
• A photinia grown as a wall shrub may need regular watering if it is protected from rain
• During the summer, container plants can dry out quickly, so they should be watered regularly

Feeding Needs:

In general, Photinia Red Robin don’t require additional fertiliser, except in poor soils or to stimulate growth. In this case then scatter a general-purpose fertiliser at the recommended dose in spring. Weeds and grass should not be allowed to grow around the base of the plant.

If you like to keep your garden tidy be aware that Photinia  Red Robin can drop it’s leaves throughout the year, which can require frequent sweeping up. Fallen leaves can also provide a safe haven for slugs and snails.

Growing plants in containers, however, requires regular fertilization, as most composts run out of nutrients after a few months.

How to prune Photinia Red Robin:

Pruning Red Robin depends on how big and how tall you want the bush or photinia hedge to be. Without pruning, it will grow to about 4m high and 13ft wide after seven years. 

Unless you prefer a large shrub, you can prune it between March and mid-July. It is not recommended to prune shrubs after late July since the young shoots that appear after pruning can be very soft and susceptible to early frosts. We would not prune these shrubs until they are three years old or older.

Pruning your Red Robin after it’s white spring flowers have died or died down is recommended. It’s most likely that you’ll have flowers the following season if you do this.

According to traditional wisdom, stems should be pruned just above the leaf nodes. Our experience has shown that no special pruning techniques are required. We have pruned ours using a hedge trimmer without any adverse effects. The plant sprouts healthy new red shoots as soon as you cut it down, regardless of the method you use.

It’s common for people to ask about how far back they should prune their overgrown Red Robins. It is possible to cut them very severely and they always come back. If the plant is out of control, it can be pruned back to 60cm / 2ft. If you are going to be giving your Red Rodin a drastic prune then wait until May when it has it’s most vigorous growth period.

In a year, Red Robin can grow up to 30cm (1ft), so keep it under control and encourage bright young leaves by cutting stems down by 15cm (6in), just above the outward-facing buds.

Pruning isn’t essential for anything except controlling size and shape of the plant.

Photinia x fraseri Red Robin toxicity

The Royal College of Physicians has stated that the red robin is extremely toxic. The leaves of these plants contain cyanogenic glycosides that are stored in vacuoles within the cells. The enzymes in the cells convert these compounds into hydrogen cyanide when chewed, which makes them extremely toxic, especially to ruminants.

Growing Red Robin Plant in containers or pots

When you decide to place your Red Robins into a container, the first thing you need to make sure is that the container has at least a 45 cm diameter and is large enough to hold them in it. Obviously, the larger the container, the better for them as it gives them a lot of room to grow well.

The container needs to be filled with good quality compost mix. You should plant your red robin plant and feed it regularly every 3 months to ensure your plant receives enough nutrients. When it is in a container, it will require regular watering. When the soil’s top 3 cm appears dry, water it again. Pruning a container red robin to maintain its desired shape and size can be done the same way you would prune a regular plant.

Photinia Red Robin Tree

You can grow a red robin as a tree quite easily, you simply just plant one on it’s own and avoid pruning the top of  it. Allowing the plant to grow upwards and fill out naturally. A Photinia Red Robin tree can grow to a height of around 5ft. 

 It takes the plant about 10 to 20 years to reach its full height, but as a specimen tree it can grow as high as 6 metres. Its full spread ranges from 2.5 to 4 metres.

Where To Buy Photinia Red Robin:

You can buy your Photinia Red Robin from one of the trusted online retailers listed below.

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How to propagate red robin Photinia

Propagating your Photinia Red Robin is done by taking cuttings.

Diseases And Pests Of The Red Robin Plant

Typically, Red Robin plants do not attract pests or diseases, but you might encounter these occasional problems:

Powdery Mildew – occurs on plants as a fungal infection that causes purple blotches on their leaves.

Wine Weevil – creates distinctive notches in leaf margins by feeding on the leaves.

Leaf Spot – The symptoms of this problem are dark red/black spots on the leaves. 

It is believed that there are two possible causes of the spots. One is a fairly harmless condition which only occurs after bad weather. The other is known as Entomosporium (a bacterial disease) which also requires cold, wet weather to occur. It can be very difficult to differentiate between them.

Most Red Robin leaf spot is usually caused by damp, humid and / or cold conditions rather than disease, according to the latest research. Affected leaves eventually fall off and in severe cases the plant can suffer severe damage. 

In cases of only partial damage, the spotted leaves can be removed and burned as soon as they’re noticed, but in cases of more severe damage there are two options:

• If you prune hard back in mid-May, you’ll likely find the plant will bounce right back with new red growth in a month or so after it’s been pruned hard back. Remember to destroy the cuttings and don’t compost them.
   
• It’s best if you move the plant and replace it with something that can cope better. Take cuttings first, we have a part about propagation in this guide.

In our experience, the shaded side of plants is most affected by leaf spot.

Do not worry if you get a few spots coming back each year; this is just nature trying to do what she has been perfecting for thousands of years. Do not waste your time trying to waste chemicals and sprays and simply rethink your planting scheme if you are getting a plague of spots every year.

Other Photinia Varieties

Below is a list of other Photinia varieties similar to the Red Robin variety.

Photinia x fraseri ‘Pink Marble’ – Photinia Pink Marble

It has variegated green foliage with irregular edges of pink and white, especially during the colder months. New growth is brilliant red and bright pink, and this plant displays dazzling displays of colour in spring and again later in the season. As it matures, it will produce flattened corymbs of white flowers that add to its charm in late Spring and early Summer.

Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’ – Photinia Carre Rouge

With this naturally bushy, compact new Photinia variety, the young growths emerge in early spring, and they are brilliant red. Compared to ‘Red Robin’, Carre Rouge’s leaves are a bit smaller and have a deeper red colour when young, persisting for a longer period of time, often accompanied by new flushes in the summer.

Photinia serratifolia ‘Pink Crispy’ – Photinia Pink Crispy

The mature glossy evergreen leaves are irregularly marbled and flecked with shades of light creamy green and dark green. Initially, the new growth appears brightly rosy pink and gradually darkens to a mixture of cream, light green and rosy pink.