Vivid Arts 18cm Robin on Tree Planter Resin Ornament - BG-TP01-F

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A single Red Robin will grow very happily in a large container. A diameter of 45cm or more is about right. This shrub is often under-rated principally because it is so widelygrown. The RHS are quite clear that this is a shrub of great horticulturalvalue, giving it an Award of Garden Merit. Photinias are commonly grown in open ground, but you might also be wondering if you can grow these stunning plants in pots. Can You Grow Photinia In Pots? Red Robins do have a tendency to drop leaves throughout the year and for those who like to keep their gardens tidy this can mean frequent sweeping up. Where the fallen leaves accumulate at the base of the plant, this will provide an ideal hiding place for slugs and snails. HOW AND WHEN TO PRUNE RED ROBINS

Place the pot in a shallow tray / bowl of water for half an hour sothat it absorbs a good amount of water but the top part is notwater-logged. If you have any cut flowers in the house when you prune your Red Robin, use the red leaves as foliage in the plant arrangement. It looks lovely. GROWING RED ROBINS IN CONTAINERS The vast majority of photinias, including ‘Red Robin,’ will do best in full sun, otherwise in partial shade.In general, most photinia varieties are planted in open ground where they serve as decorative bushes, hedges and screens. Take the cuttings in late July to early September time. If the bushis some distance away take a plastic bag to store the cuttings in andprevent moisture loss. Also, take the cutting longer than needed andmake the final cut (see below) when you are ready to plant the cutting.This will minimise the cut healing over which makes rooting moredifficult. Photinias are hardy evergreen shrubs that are appreciated in many regions for their ability to grow into colourful and attractive hedges without much effort on the part of the gardener.

Choose a full sun to partial shade position. The plant needs some aircirculation so although it will thrive against a wall or fence, avoidplanting it in the corner of two walls fences. All soils except heavy clay or waterlogged conditions are suitable.It does best in a deep loam type soil although this is not essential. Though so many hedges delight us with thrilling autumn colours, photinias produce wonderful spring and summer foliage that is definitely among the best. If the soil is heavy or is not free draining addlots of well rotted compost to the area and dig it in well.An evergreen shrub which, if not pruned, reaches a height of 4m /13ft with a similar spread. Red Robin grows at a rate of about 30cm /1ft per year when established. It responds very well to pruning and caneasily be kept to a height 1.2m / 4ft. Where the plant is only partially affected the solution is to remove spottedleaves and burn them as soon as they are noticed. Where the damage is moresevere you have two choices: Soil that is light, friable, moderately fertile, and free-draining is best for photinias in containers. It can be planted all year long if the soil is not frozen and youcan water well when conditions are dry. Mid March to April and midSeptember to October are the best times to plant this shrub. If you opt to grow a largeish, spreading variety in a container, a planter would be very suitable. Compost Requirements

Red Robins are easy to propagate and the chances of success, even for very amateur gardeners, are very high. The following guidelines will ensure the best outcome: We have noticed that it is the shaded side of plants which are most affected.The above photo shows the sun side of a Red Robin which is totally unaffected byleaf spot. The shade side was affected, but only to a minor degree. In fact, the aptly-named Photinia ’Little Red Robin’ and the dwarf cultivar Photinia × fraseri were specifically developed for container growing. Suitable Container SizesFirstly, the container should be large enough to accommodate your photinia variety at its given stage of maturity. It is fully hardy in almost all areas of the UK withstandingtemperatures down to -12°C. In protected position, it is hardy to afew degrees lower. See the comments question / answer section (comment datedApril 2018) at the end of this article if your Red Robin has lost many of itsleaves during a particularly cold winter.

For those of you who prefer a small shrub then pruning can be done any timebetween March and mid July. We wouldn’t advise pruning after late July becausethe young shoots which appear after pruning may well be soft and easily damagedby early frosts. We would not prune these shrubs until they reach 3 or moreyears old. All Stewarts stores offer the option to reserve items, pay for them online, and collect them in store. You can see from a glance which stores have the item you are viewing by looking at this section: Main interest is from bright red leaf tips which turn green as theymature. If left unpruned the previous year, it produces masses of tinywhite flowers in June. The flowers are attractive but the scent is not!

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During that time keep the rooted cuttings in a cold greenhouse or outsidein a shaded position out of the way of harsh weather. They may well needwatering, keep the compost slightly moist but not waterlogged. Pruning is as described above although you may want to prune more frequently tokeep the plant to shape and an appropriate size for the container. It does helpif the shrub is in a heavy container to avoid it easily being blown over. PESTS AND DISEASES OF RED ROBINS Though open-ground photinias do not need feeding, container-grown ones will do better with a spring shot of fertiliser. Even a photinia that is expected to grow to a relatively modest height and spread, if grown in a container, will require annual pruning for size and shape. Potted Photinia Varieties