Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

8 ft 2 in

In-row spacing

8 ft 2 in

Between rows

10 ft 3 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Shrub · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Full sun to partial shade; it does well in coastal gardens.

Watering

Water until established; drought tolerant from then on.

Feeding

A balanced feed in spring, with mulch at the base.

Frost tolerant

Yes

Pruning

Trim in late spring; hedges want two cuts a year.

Overwintering

Hardy in milder gardens; shelter it from cold winds.

Through the year

• Mar–Sep Spring Growth
• Sep–Dec Growing
• Jan–Mar Growing

Companions

Lavender, Grasses, Hebes

Pests & problems

• Scale insects Immobile brown or white bumps fixed to stems and leaf undersides, sucking sap and weakening growth. Wipe off with a damp cloth or dab with horticultural soap; watch for the sooty mold that follows.
• Frost damage Soft new growth and open flowers blackened by late frosts. Fleece on cold nights, avoid planting in frost pockets, and resist cutting damage away until frosts pass.
• Pittosporum sucker

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Hoverfly Syrphidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

  Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
• Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

  Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow