Can You Keep a Photinia at 3 Feet?

Identification

• There are several types of photinia. Chinese photinia (Photinia serrulata) is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 11 and grows to between 15 and 25 feet with a smooth, symmetrical crown and multiple trunks. Japanese or red-leaf photinia (Photinia glabra) is hardy in USDA zones 7a through 11 and typically grows to 15 or 20 feet. Fraser photinia (Photinia x fraseri) is a cross between the two and is hardy to USDA zones 7 through 9. While all photinias can be kept shorter, they likely will not stay at 3 feet for long.

Severe Pruning

• Pruning to keep photinia short doesn't work well. Its branches and trunks continue to thicken, and pruning won’t halt the process. While it makes a good tall screen, it does poorly as a hedge or other short plant because its lower branches lose leaves and it does not branch out enough to fill in a small form. It is tolerant of hard pruning and quickly regrows with bright red leaves, but photinia is unlikely to stay both small and healthy.

Pruning Benefits

• This is not to say that pruning photinia is a bad idea. One of its most desirable features is the bright red color of its new growth. Because of this, some people prune photinia several times a year to encourage the attractive regrowth. If you don’t care about flowers, prune for shape while the shrub is dormant at the end of winter and then prune again in spring after its leaves begin to fade to green. If you want the showy floral display, wait until after the plant blooms to prune it.

Pruning Techniques

• If your plant becomes diseased, stop pruning during the growing season. This provides an entrance for infection, and diseases will spread from one part of the plant to another part or from plant to plant. When pruning diseased wood, clean your shears or clippers with rubbing alcohol between each cut to prevent spreading infection. When pruning, clip flush against the trunk of the plant or at a bud or side branch to encourage the photinia’s natural form.