Photinia x fraseri 'McLarlou' LOUISE Fraser's photinia
size/type
medium-sized shrub,taller shrub
usual height
2-4m
usual width
1,5-2,5m
leaves
evergreen broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
less showy but noticeable
colour of flowers
blooming time
May-June
location
full to partial sun
soil type
acidic (peaty)
soil moisture requirements
evenly moist but well-drained
USDA zone (lowest)
7 (down to -23°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
Fraser’s photinia is an evergreen shrub or a tree, a cross between Japanese photinia glabra and Chinese photinia serratifolia. It was found in American town Birmingham in Alabama around 1940 and introduced to commerce some 15 years later named Birmingham. For some reason this name was soon dropped, and USA was flooded with millions of plants of super attractive Fraser's photinia. Originally it was used as lush specimen evergreen shrub but soon after it became possibly the most common evergreen hedging shrub of the south, and as it was trialled far north it reached states in USDA zone 7 and even 6 where its distribution stopped.
Description of the plant:
LOUISE is a Scottish selection of Fraser’s photinia. It was found as a naturally occurring mutation of one branch on Red Robin photinia by Louise McWhinnie from McLaren’s Nurseries in 2008. Since there’s already one variegated photinia called PINK MARBLE® let’s describe this novelty in comparison. LOUISE has evergreen, glossy, 10-15 cm long, 4-6 cm wide leaves which are rather symmetrically ovate (P.M. has irregular leaf shape), olive green in a somewhat warmer tone (P.M. has dark green colour of a cool tone), and each leaf has a unique white marbling. When they emerge they exhibit striking shades of dark pink, ruby red or maroon which is the key feature. In autumn white highlights gain pink shades. In late spring older plants produce profusion of dense corymbs composed of tiny white flowers followed by small, firm, spherical fruit on long stalks in autumn. LOUISE photinia grows into a neat, broadly oval, upright habit while P.M. is rather irregular in shape and rampant. Young plants make 30-40 cm per year and when they reach about 1.5 in height the growth rate slows down and the plant bushes out. Thanks to pink and red new foliage it is a sought-after shrub used as a lawn specimen or in mixed hedges making a showy display of vibrant red new foliage as well as serving as a dense screen against unwanted looks from neighbouring gardens or streets. Pruning, trimming, or clipping can be done almost anytime from spring till midsummer. It readily regenerates also from old wood which makes this red-leaved jewel indestructible. Plants in hedges should be placed at least 70-100 cm apart, not closer. LOUISE has these patents: PP27107 (2016 – USA) and 41104 (2015 – Europe).
Fraser's photinia is not very fussy about soil type, it only hates waterlogged and compacted ground. For best results grow it in moist but well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil. In order to retain moisture and to keep the ground from temperature swings in winter, keep it mulched all year round, especially during the first years after transplanting. Photinia is quite drought tolerant when fully established but might suffer during dry winters of zone 6 so an extra watering is advisable once a month in frost-free periods if the ground is dry and not frozen. It is reliably hardy to -24°C without damage and has withstood a few degrees lower with some damage of previous year's growths and foliage but always regenerated from healthy wood.
Last update 08-11-2021
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GLOSSARY
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
