Is Photinia Red Robin Good For Screening?

Photinia ‘Red Robin’ is so nearly the perfect choice for screening – it is Evergreen, clips well, grows vigorously, and can be trained into Espaliers easily. It is therefore budget friendly and widely commercially grown.

There is, however, a catch! Sadly, in our experience, whilst it can and does look amazing in some settings, it is unreliable (at least in Southern UK), suffering defoliation, sooty mould, powdery mildew, and generally looking poorly.

Why does Photinia Red Robin suffer? (and what can I do if I have some that look miserable)

Photinia is prone to a range of fungal infections in both leaves and roots, which can be exacerbated by overwatering (which of course one tends to do if you have a plant that is wilting and looking miserable), as well as being susceptible to frost damage meaning Photinia Red Robin is not the best choice for screening.

A good summary of the most common problems is here. In general the solutions are somewhat onerous – requiring prompt spraying and pruning as well as meticulous removal of infected material.

A summary of recommended treatments is here: here.

To be honest, we have not had consistent success with improving Photinia that has suffered, and whilst planting good stock in a good well drained soil will definitely give it the best start, we do not now recommend as it can be so disappointing to see them fail to thrive. The partial dieback and thin growth of the image below seem to be typical for plants affected.

Can I still plant Photinia Red Robin?

Of course you can! We simply would not recommend splashing out a big investment for a large hedge or major screening or specimen trees. If you love the look of them and would like to try some in your garden, smaller specimens can be purchased quite cheaply and you can enjoy seeing how they do, and be ready to intervene if you see signs of common problems.

What other Evergreens do you recommend for hedging and screening?

If you can bear to consider deciduous options you will have a much wider choice, largely more cost effective options, and the joy of seeing the seasons change. We will explore more varieties of these in future articles as the options are endless.

If evergreen is a must, and we are focussed on screening here, then then Prunus (Laurel) is the most reliable and cost effective hedging. There are images and details of other suggestions here.

Yew is wonderful for hedging, but slow growing and therefore expensive. It also hates being waterlogged so good drainage is a must.

In terms of evergreen trees, Magnolia grandiflora is a good option if you like the large glossy leaf and they also have gorgeous large creamy white flowers.

Holly trees also are available as good large standards (such as these ‘Ilex Nellie Stevens’ from our friends at Deepdale Trees.

Hollies are slow growing so typically quite expensive to buy at a good size, but both magnolia and Holly are available as ‘Standards’ (as above, with clear stems) and as Espalier forms.

Holm Oak (Quercus Ilex) is a British native evergreen oak and was for a long while the staple of our choices for evergreen screening. Unfortunately, this very popularity drove a major international trade in Oaks and has probably contributed to the spread of Sudden Oak Death which is infecting UK oak stocks. As a result we cannot import these anymore, and tree stocks in the UK are limited, but this remains a lovely option.

Viburnum tinus lucidum is another commercially grown evergreen that is available in Espalier form. It does flower which is a nice addition, although it tends to form a slightly untidy screen as the branch network is somewhat looser than some alternatives.

If you want to find out more then follow our G&T (Garden Guides & Tree Talk) on social media or talk to one of the team about your screening challenges.

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