Pittosporum tenuifolium Silver Ball - Kohuhu

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Ball' is a brand new variety of Pittosporum with small leaves, which was highly noticed at the Salon du Végétal 2018. Its small growth, its particularly compact and rounded habit, and its suitability for pruning make it perfect for ornamenting terraces and small gardens. Its tough and glossy foliage, irregularly margined with white on a greyish-green background, is brighter and more decorative than that of boxwood. Its discreet late spring flowering releases a honey scent in the evening. Its only weakness is its limited hardiness, which limits its cultivation in open ground to mild regions. Plant it in a sunny rockery, invite it to a dry garden, it tolerates summer drought and calcareous soils well. In colder regions, expose it in a large pot on the terrace or balcony, to be stored in cold climates.

Pittoporum tenuifolium, from the Pittosporaceae family, is native to dry regions located east of the Alps in New Zealand. The 'Silver Ball' cultivar is a seedling of the 'Golden Ball' variety, with the same globular and very compact habit.

Growing relatively fast, it forms a dense and stocky bush of 50 to 80cm (19.7 - 31.5in) in all directions, sometimes up to 1m in just a few seasons. Its highly branched stems bear leaves all year round, which are slightly greyish-green, more or less edged with white, alternate, entire, ovate, thick, very glossy, tough, with smooth edges. They are small, not exceeding 3 to 3.5cm (1.2 - 1.4in) in length and 1.5cm (0.6in) in width. Flowering takes place in late spring or early summer. The small dark cup-shaped flowers, less than 1cm (0.4in) in diameter, emit a scent that is especially noticeable at night. They are followed by the formation of a few round fruits, initially green and then almost black when ripe. After a somewhat harsh winter that may destroy all or part of the vegetation, the plant can regrow from the stump or from the base of the branches, after more or less severe pruning depending on the case.

Hardy down to -7C°/-10°C, the 'Silver Ball' Pittosporum requires a very well-drained soil, a warm and sunny location protected from prevailing winds. In mild climates, it can be planted in a rockery or at the edge of a flower bed. In a dry garden, it can accompany Cistus, lavender, oregano, or thyme. In colder regions, it can be grown in a container on a terrace to enjoy its delicate fragrance and rounded charm. This variety, just like boxwood, can also form a neat little hedge and is well-suited for topiary art, but it has the advantage of being disease-free, unlike the latter, which is decimated in some regions. It can also be paired fuchsias or shrubby salvias, Prostanthera, Westringia, compact Grevilleas, or combined with the silver foliage of Artemisia and Santolina.