Photinia fraseri Louise McLarlou - Christmas Berry

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.