Fotonia (Photinia Red Robin)

The Photinia Red Robin is a shrub that displays a color that will enliven the look of the garden and has endless characteristics that make it convenient, among which are its resistance to different climates and easy cultivation. A shrub that is grown all over the planet and you can also have it in your home.

When we refer to Photinia, we are not only talking about the species that we will delve into today, but there are a large number of species within its family. These are generally shrubs or trees of little stature that can be found in different types, among which the deciduous and evergreen stand out.

Origin and distribution

The characteristic places where this bush grows naturally is in the East, more precisely in Thailand, India and Japan. This species develops with greater success in areas with temperate climates for most of the year, which is why there are also usually some areas of the north of the American continent where native species of this shrub are known.

The ease of cultivation has made this plant, native to other places, reach almost everyone, also due to its strong ornamental power and its unique color, being a shrub and tree with a small characteristic and well known around the world, but its origin is that of Asia.

Characteristics of the Photinia Red Robin

It belongs to the group of Rosaceae, but unlike these, it does not reach a very considerable height, although it does show the same characteristics. Among the most important aspects that it brings together, it is possible to highlight the resistance they have against different inclement weather, demonstrating a robustness that makes them one of the most chosen in the world of ornamental shrubs.

It will grow in your garden in a rounded way and showing a large number of leaves and flowers that make it very compact. Another of the main characteristics is its rapid growth, achieving a diameter and a height of approximately 1.5 meters in a few months from its planting and in the species that become larger, reaching even 3 meters, both in diameter. as tall.

One of the main characteristics of its leaves is that, unlike the flowers, these remain on the plant throughout the year, always showing a greenish color, which becomes brighter in the warm months and dulls a bit in winters or low temperature seasons.

On their edges, they are serrated and green is not the only tone that appears in them, but you will also see intense red leaves, something that also makes them very ornamental, forming a magnificent composition with the flowers and all the bush.

These red tones of its leaves are achieved in the upper part of the plant, while downwards, the tone of the leaves becomes much darker, forming a gradient that gives it a decorative appearance that stands out in all types of gardens.

During the autumn and winter months, we will only see the leaves, but its flowering begins in the spring, when small inflorescences will begin to grow whose shape is basically circular and has five petals, which in addition to offering another color palette to the plant They also give it a particular aroma.

These flowers will appear during the months of April and May and are very small, in contrast to the general growth of the plant. These flowers will also give rise to small fruits, when the summer heats are already leaving and autumn begins.

These show in their growth a blue color that contrasts in the wide composition of colors that it presents and as it matures, they will darken. That will be the moment when the birds begin to feed on them. This fruit is not considered edible by humans, but is often used by birds for food.

Reproduction

It is a plant whose reproduction is achieved very easily, both by cuttings and by seeds. Cuttings can even be obtained from pruning remains and will grow quickly and effectively.

The seeds are dispersed by the excrement of the birds, which have used their fruits, and their plants always grow healthy, resisting any type of diseases or pests. This is the Photinia Red Robin, a plant of the most chosen around the world for its colors, giving it an ornamental appearance without equal.

Care

Photinia Red Robin will certainly grow best in a garden where there is plenty of direct sunlight for a long time, but this is not the only way it grows. It will also do it in places where the lighting is partial and it can even grow, but in a slightly less robust way, in places where there is only natural lighting and full shade.

It is a plant that grows with great power in fertile soil and what you will need is that it has a good drainage capacity, so a compound between soil and sand will be the best way for it to develop. Although its best growth is notable in garden soils, you can also grow it in pots, to have it on apartment balconies or terraces.

In gardens particularly, it forms a very beautiful composition if around it you have cultivated flower plants of very light or very dark colors, which in both situations will contrast with the red of its leaves, giving your garden a special color.

Irrigation will be different if you have this shrub in a pot or if you have it in the soil in your garden. In your pot, the plant will need more regular waterings, as well as in the months with higher temperatures. In the earth, plants can reach with their roots more humid areas and the deeper they reach, so the moments in which to give them water should not be so often.