Shrub · North Texas care guide
Pittosporum tobira
Nursery Pro tip: Glossy, tidy, and the spring flowers smell like orange blossom. Wheeler's Dwarf stays low.
A rounded evergreen with whorls of thick, leathery leaves and creamy spring flowers that smell like orange blossom. The variegated form is a soft gray-green and white; 'Wheeler's Dwarf' stays 3 ft and the green species can reach 10.
Full sun to shade with protection from the worst north wind — it's the least cold-hardy shrub on this list and a 2021-style freeze can take it down. A courtyard, a south or east wall, or under an overhang is the safe spot. Needs good drainage.
Spring, so it has a full season before winter. Hole twice the pot width, ball at grade, native soil, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Weekly the first summer, then every week or two. Drought tolerant once established.
Light spring feeding.
After flowering. Shape by cutting back to a branch joint; it takes shearing but looks better informal.
Cold damage below about 15°F — leave frozen growth until spring, then cut back to live wood and it usually returns. Aphids and scale occasionally; root rot in wet soil.
Courtyards and entries with Japanese maple, boxwood and liriope; the variegated form lightens a dark corner.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.