| One of the best choices for a landscape bush in a | | | | mistake in my view to over plant the lighter, |
| mild winter, Mediterranean garden has to be | | | | variegated types, as they tend to look rather sickly |
| Pittosporum tobira. It is often overlooked today by | | | | in direct sunlight. In any case, plants with unusual |
| home owners and even by garden designers, | | | | foliage, should generally be sparingly used in the |
| because it grows slowly, taking some 4 to 5 years | | | | garden. Their over use is a sure sign of design |
| to reach a height of 3 meters or so, and perhaps | | | | naiveté and even poor taste. |
| some 3 years to form a closed screen. | | | | Pittosporum tobira blossoms with fragrant flowers in |
| Not so long ago, such a time span would have been | | | | the spring, while the decorative fruit are a pleasant |
| regarded as completely normal and not seen as a | | | | addition at the end of the summer. However, Tobira |
| drawback. However one of the consequences of | | | | should be chosen primarily for its form, shape and |
| living in the instant gratification epoch, is that some | | | | texture, the flowers not being sufficiently significant |
| excellent plant species, having lost their popularity, | | | | in themselves to justify its inclusion in the planting |
| are becoming harder to find in the garden centers. | | | | scheme. Older plants can be pruned up to grow as |
| Tobira is one of them, and our gardens are much the | | | | small trees, while the plant associates beautifully with |
| poorer as a result. | | | | low bushes like Coprosma repens, Green Island Ficus, |
| For a loose or unclipped screen, the Tobira is | | | | and the dwarf Melaleuca, "Green Dome". Best of all is |
| unmatched in its elegance and dignity. Its beautiful | | | | the dwarf variety of Pittosporum tobira, known as |
| leaf texture maybe less spectacular than bright | | | | "Wheeler's Dwarf", a truly excellent foreground plant. |
| flower or unusual foliage color, but is a deeply | | | | In terms of care, the Tobira is easy to grow, and |
| satisfying quality in itself. For this reason the plants | | | | modest in its water demands. Indeed overly frequent |
| should not be sheared as a trimmed hedge, but can | | | | watering can cause plants to rot, particularly in heavy |
| nonetheless be easily maintained with minimal pruning | | | | soils. It can be planted fairly close to the coast, being |
| now and again. | | | | quite hardy to sea spray. It can sometimes be |
| The dark-leaved varieties function perfectly as a | | | | preyed on by aphids and other insects, but the |
| backdrop to flowers or a sculpture, while the | | | | damage is usually controllable without resorting to |
| variegated types brighten up a shady corner. It is a | | | | poisons. |