As with a hedge, so with a container planted Photinia Red Robin. Here are a few pointers to growing this fabulous plant successfully in containers…
Photinia Red Robin at Hedge Xpress
Photinia Red Robin is a great way of introducing colour into the garden. But if your garden is concreted over; formed of solid clay that you haven’t the time, inclination or physical ability to improve, or you have a pation or decking that needs a splash of long-lasting colour, then a container planted Photinia Red Robin or two is a perfect and proven solution.
Container Planted Photinia Red Robin – What Size Container?
Go for a frost-resistant container with a diameter of at least 45cm. The plant won’t mind what material it is made of. Remember, though, that once the container is planted, it may be difficult to move! (Then again, don’t make it to light – the plant will catch the wind and be blown over.) Choose containers with straight sides – a tapered container is fine, but avoid those that bulge as this makes re-potting much harder.
Container Planted Photinia Red Robin – Which Compost?
As may be expected, John Innes No. 2 or 3 would be an appropriate choice, as would any proprietary (or home grown) multi-purpose compost. Photinia Red Robin is part of our peat-free growing trials and is performing extremely well so, if you are a peat-free gardener, your Photinia Red Robin shouldn’t complain.
Feeding a Container Planted Photinia Red Robin
All plants growing in containers need more regular feeding. Once the nutrients in the planting compost are exhausted – no more than six weeks – the plant should be fed once a month from mid March to mid August.
Watering a Container Planted Photinia Red Robin
As with feeding, so with watering. While you can tell if a houseplant needs a splash by lifting it, that won’t be possible with a container. Instead, water well once the top 3cm feel dry. Remember that, due to evaporation, plants in terracotta containers are likely to need more frequent watering.
Pruning a Container Planted Photinia Red Robin
The same principles apply (click HERE) but, aesthetically, you may prefer to trim more deliberately. As a pretty fast grower, Photinia Red Robin will out-grow a container in a few years if it isn’t kept pruned to size.
Companion Planting a Container Planted Photinia Red Robin
We’ll be looking at this in more detail in the next post. However, it isn’t recommended to grow anything else in the container until the Photinia Red Robin is established. When you do, remember more water and a little more feed will be required. And if you are going to under-plant, choose a larger container so the plants don’t have to fight each other for root-room and nutrients.
Repotting & Transplanting a Container Planted Photinia Red Robin
If your Photinia Red Robin outgrows its container, you want give it more room so it can grow larger, or the container is damaged, it can be re-potted anytime from early spring to early autumn. You could re-pot in winter, but there seems little point and nothing to gain by not waiting until spring.
The best time for transplanting a container planted Photinia Red Robin into the ground is during the growing season from spring onwards. The night before the move, give the plant in the container a thorough soaking.
We stock a range of Photinia Red Robin plants in a variety of heights, from 45 – 150cm. These resilient vivid-red plants truly will brighten up your outdoor space.
