Shrub or hedging
How to grow Photinia Red Robin
Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin'
Photinia 'Red Robin' needs sun, shelter from cold wind and soil that drains well in winter; given those it makes an evergreen hedge or specimen with red new leaves. Plant pot-grown plants between October and March, 60 to 75 cm apart for a hedge. The red comes only on new growth, so trim in spring and again in summer to trigger fresh flushes. Cold, wet roots are what spoil it.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy (new growth frost-prone)
- Position
- Full sun to light shade
- Soil
- Fertile, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate while establishing
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting Photinia Red Robin
WhenPlant Oct to Mar; trim Apr and Jul to Aug for red flushes
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock Oct to Mar on a free-draining site with shelter from cold east winds; root-balled hedging is sold Nov to Mar. Propagate by 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings with a heel in Aug to Sep, rooted in gritty compost at 18 to 20°C under a lid in 8 to 10 weeks.
Spacing and planting
Left alone it reaches 4 to 5 m by 4 m; as a hedge hold it at 2 to 3 m. Plant hedging at 60 to 75 cm apart in a single row, or 2.5 m apart for specimens, in a hole twice the rootball width at pot depth with a 5 cm bark mulch. A clipped specimen manages in a 50 cm pot for a few years, but it is better in the ground.
Varieties worth growing
- 'Red Robin'
- The standard: bright red young leaves maturing to glossy dark green, 4 m if unpruned, easily held as a 2 m hedge.
- 'Little Red Robin'
- A smaller form reaching 1 to 1.5 m, with smaller leaves. For low hedges, the front of a border and pots.
- 'Carré Rouge'
- More compact and denser than 'Red Robin' with smaller leaves and deeper red growth. Makes a tidier hedge with less trimming.
- 'Pink Marble'
- Green leaves edged white, with pink new shoots. Slower and less vigorous; a specimen rather than a hedging plant.
- Standard and pleached 'Red Robin'
- Nursery-trained lollipops and flat-headed screens on a clear stem, for height above a fence without the width of a hedge.
Photinia Red Robin month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Leaf spotting shows on stressed plants.
- February
Nothing to do. Order plants.
- March
Feed and mulch. Plant in mild weather.
- April
First trim once hard frosts are over. Renovate leggy plants to 60 cm.
- May
Red flush at its best. White flower heads open on untrimmed shoots.
- June
Water plants in their first summer weekly in dry spells. Light second feed for hedges.
- July
Second trim once the first flush has turned green.
- August
Finish trimming by the middle of the month. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
- September
No more trimming, so the last growth hardens before winter.
- October
Planting season opens.
- November
Plant root-balled hedging. Check that winter water drains away from the roots.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding Photinia Red Robin
A moderate feeder. A balanced feed in March fuels the first red flush, and a hedge that is trimmed twice gets a lighter second feed after the first cut. Nothing after July.
Moderate, a balanced spring feed drives the bright red new growth.
Feeding plan
At planting, October to March
5 g per litre of root ball: 15 g for a 3 litre pot, 25 g for a 5 litre pot, rubbed onto the root ball or sprinkled in the hole where the roots will touch it. Once only.
March
100 g/m²: about 100 g scattered under the spread of a specimen shrub, or 100 g per metre run over a strip 1 m wide along a hedge. Follow with a 5 cm mulch.
June, hedges only, after the first trim
50 g per metre run, half the label's 100 g/m² over a 1 m strip, watered in. The last feed of the year.
March and June, plants in pots
2 g per litre of compost on the surface: about 90 g for a 50 cm pot holding 45 litres.
Signs to watch
New growth that stays green rather than red
Shade or lack of fresh trimming, not a deficiency
Trim in Apr and Jul and give more light
Yellow leaves with green veins on chalk
Iron locked out
Sulphur chips and a chelated iron feed
Pests, diseases and problems
Dark red or purple-brown spots and blotches on the older leaves in winter and spring, followed by leaf drop
Photinia leaf spot, a reaction to stress from cold, wet conditions at the root more than an infectious disease
Improve drainage, mulch and feed in March, and trim in April so new growth replaces the marked leaves. Plants in exposed or wet spots are best moved to a warmer, drier position.
New red shoots blacken and collapse after a cold night in April or May
Late frost on soft growth, often after an early trim
Wait until the worst frosts have passed before the spring trim. Cut the blackened tips back to sound growth; a new flush follows within weeks.
Bare, leggy stems with leaves only at the top
Shade, or years without pruning
Cut back to about 60 cm in April, feed and mulch, and it shoots from the old wood. Thin whatever is casting the shade if you can.
Leaves yellow and fall through the plant, shoots die back, growth stalls
Root rot in waterlogged soil, most often on heavy clay after a wet winter
Lift young plants and replant on a raised mound or in a better-drained spot. Established plants in standing water rarely recover.
U-shaped notches around the leaf margins
Adult vine weevil
Tolerate in the ground. For plants in pots, water on nematodes in late August or September to kill the grubs before they eat the roots.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Grown for foliage, so the aim is to prompt flushes of red: trim in Apr once frost risk eases and again in Jul to Aug, removing 10 to 15 cm each time; each cut shoot produces 2 to 3 new red shoots. Use secateurs on specimens and shears on hedges, cutting after the leaves harden off. Renovate leggy plants to 60 cm in Apr; they regrow readily.
Good to knowTrim in spring and after flowering to keep flushes of red leaves coming; a popular evergreen hedge.
Growing Photinia Red Robin in pots
'Red Robin' will grow in a 50 cm pot for a few years as a clipped shrub or standard, and 'Little Red Robin' is happy in one for longer. Use loam-based compost such as John Innes No 3 with extra grit, and raise the pot on feet so it drains freely in winter. Water regularly in summer, feed in March and June, and trim twice. Move it out of cold east wind in winter if you can.
Photinia Red Robin: common questions
Why are the leaves on my Photinia Red Robin covered in spots?
Dark red or purple spots on photinia are usually a stress response to cold, wet winters, not a disease that needs treating. They are worst on plants in heavy soil, exposed positions or pots that stay wet. Improve the drainage, feed and mulch in March, and trim in April so clean new growth takes over.
When should I prune Photinia Red Robin?
Trim in April once hard frosts are over, and again in July or early August. Each cut produces a new flush of red leaves. Do not trim after mid August, because late growth is soft and is damaged by frost.
How fast does Photinia Red Robin grow?
About 30 cm a year once established. A hedge planted at 60 to 90 cm takes four to five years to reach 1.8 m, a little slower than cherry laurel.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.