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Photinia fraseri Louise McLarlou - Christmas Berry

Photinia x fraseri Louise 'McLarlou'
Christmas Berry, Redtip Photinia

4,8/5
17 reviews
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Very beautiful and bushy shrub. I really like its colors that stand out from the photinias that are seen everywhere.

Marina, 31/08/2024

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

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Value-for-money
Louise is a new Photinia with naturally upright growth and variegated foliage that is more colourful than 'Pink Marble': its young red leaves are marginated with pink, turning to variegated green with cream in summer. Its spring flowering is charming, with white umbels, if not pruned. This bush is superb as a hedge, standalone or in a shrub border, even in a small garden, and grows very well in pots.
Flower size
6 cm
Height at maturity
1.75 m
Spread at maturity
1 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -15°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil, Moist soil
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Best planting time February, October
Recommended planting time March to May, September to November
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Flowering time April to May
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Description

Photinia x fraseri Louise ('MacLarlou') is an attractive variegated foliage mutation of the famous 'Red Robin'. This evergreen bush has a more compact habit and a growth that is both more upright and remarkably colourful all year round. After each pruning, this bush produces young shoots of a particularly vibrant cherry red colour, unfolding into young shiny leaves marginated with pink on a red background among the older leaves, which are equally glossy but variegated with green and cream. In spring, young leaves, umbels of white flowers, and mature leaves coexist on this multicolored bush that is full of character. Comfortable in any good garden soil, even by the sea, this new Photinia also adapts very well to container cultivation in most of our regions.

 

Photinia x fraseri or Fraser's Photinia is an old horticultural creation born in 1940 in the United States. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between Photinia glabra, native to Japan, and Photinia serrulata, native to China. It has given rise to some famous cultivars, including 'Red Robin', planted on a large scale in our parks and gardens. In recent years, some beautiful improvements have emerged, more compact, more colorful, and better suited to small spaces, such as Louise, a natural variegated mutation that appeared on a branch of 'Red Robin' in Glasgow in 2008.

Not exceeding 2m (6ft 7in) in height with a spread of 1m, Photinia Louise has a naturally compact, bushy, and upright habit and shows rapid growth. Its vegetation is adorned with evergreen foliage, composed of leaves arranged alternately on the branches. They are leathery and glossy on the top, about 5-7cm (2-2.8in) long, finely toothed along the edges, transitioning from red with a pink edge to green with a cream edge. The young shoots are also remarkably coloured in cherry red. In March or April, clusters of small white flowers appear, reaching 10cm (3.9in) in diameter, mainly at the tips of the branches. They are slightly fragrant and attract numerous pollinating insects.

 

In addition to the beautiful colouration of its young foliage, it is also the hardiness and adaptability to any type of soil that have earned Photinia x fraseri worldwide success. Like its parent, Louise tolerates all types of well-drained soils, from deep and moist to dry, in sunny or semi-shaded locations. It is an easy-to-cultivate and low-maintenance bush that can withstand temperatures of up to -15°C when exposed to the sun. Of course, it is ideal for creating medium hedges, trimmed or untrimmed, and it also adapts very well to container cultivation and shines in flowerbeds. Highly ornamental, it can also be planted as a standalone specimen in a small garden. There are numerous possibilities for associations depending on the regions and the preferences of each gardener: with other easy-to-grow evergreen bushes such as Elaeagnus ebbingei 'Compacta', laurel, Rhamnus alaternus 'Argenteovariegata', Berberis, Olearia, holly, or Osmanthus. It will also accompany other white spring-flowering bushes such as Spirea or Mock Orange.

Tips: Excessively chalky or clayey soils should be avoided. Balancing pruning is necessary in summer.

 

Photinia fraseri Louise McLarlou - Christmas Berry in pictures

Photinia fraseri Louise McLarlou - Christmas Berry (Foliage) Foliage

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1.75 m
Spread at maturity 1 m
Habit Irregular, bushy
Growth rate fast

Flowering

Flower colour white
Flowering time April to May
Inflorescence Corymb
Flower size 6 cm
Fragrance slightly scented
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour variegated

Botanical data

Genus

Photinia

Species

x fraseri

Cultivar

Louise 'McLarlou'

Family

Rosaceae

Other common names

Christmas Berry, Redtip Photinia

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference8580011

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Planting and care

Photinia x fraseri Louise is planted in spring or autumn in any deep, moist to occasionally dry, fertile and well-drained soil. Once well established, it tolerates summer drought, even in hotter regions if it has deep soil. It appreciates a sunny but not scorching exposure (to avoid burning its variegated foliage) or semi-shaded, sheltered from cold and strong winds. It also tolerates shaded exposures, at the expense of flowering and the intensity of young foliage colouration. Compost is necessary for planting. Water well for the first two years, once or twice a week, especially in hot and dry weather. Mulch the soil to keep it cool in summer in warm regions and protect the base in winter in cold regions. Prune in summer to balance the habit, cutting back half of all branches. This will promote the growth of young rose-variegated leaves in autumn. Note that climates with little contrast, humid and cool, promote the growth of photinias and the renewal of red young shoots that can be produced throughout the year.

Photinia is generally a robust plant with few enemies. However:

In humid weather or, on the contrary, in certain dry and poor soils, Photinias can be affected by a fungus (entomosporiosis). Watch the leaves, if black-red spots appear, treat with Bordeaux mixture. The vine-weevil can also nibble the edge of the leaves at night, while their larvae can attack the roots: treat the soil with nematodes that parasitize the larvae.

Planting period

Best planting time February, October
Recommended planting time March to May, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Woodland edge
Type of use Border, Container
Hardiness Hardy down to -15°C (USDA zone 7b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade, Shade
Soil pH Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil, Deep, loamy, well-drained

Care

Pruning instructions Prune in summer to balance the habit, shorten by a third or half all the shoots. This will promote the growth of young red leaves in autumn.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time August to September
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
4,8/5
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