Recently, while in traffic, I heard someone in a small work truck honk a loud big rig horn for attention. Looking at me and smiling proudly, the driver pointed at a massive horn assembly made for big trucks sitting on his passenger front seat. He yelled out that he was going to mount it under his truck. I couldn’t help thinking how great it would look mounted over his cab. This is a good illustration of how people can have different ideas about what seems best, to achieve individually desired effects. Similarly, the subject of this article, the redtip photinia, has been the go-to plant for making boundary hedges, but it is also used in other imaginative ways.
The redtip photinia has an interesting history. It was first observed in 1940 in a nursery owned by Ollie Fraser in Birmingham, Alabama. When he planted seeds from several different photinia plants he had, he noticed one seedling that was different. It was fast-growing, and new shoots were brilliant red. Investigation revealed that the plant was a hybrid of Chinese Photinia serratifolia and Japanese Photinia glabra. The plant quickly became a favorite of Southern landscapes, and though Ollie never patented his plant, it was named after him: Photinia x fraseri. Redtip photinia, or simply ‘redtip’, became the plant’s common name.
Redtip photinias are broad leaved evergreen shrubs or small trees that can grow as much as 2 feet in a year. They grow in full sun to part shade, and in most any well-drained soil. They are tolerant of drought once established, and tolerant of temperatures to 0 degrees F. Most commonly, these plants are found as shrub-sized screens or hedges marking property, easily trimmed to size and shape. However, those growing where I work are untrimmed trees, used as individual evergreen screens and accents. They reach 20 or more feet tall and 8 or more feet wide.
Leaves of redtip photinias are on petioles that are about ½ inch long, and stout. Shape of leaves is 
elliptic, with serrate margins. Teeth are slanted towards the end. Measuring 3 to 5 inches long and up to 2 inches wide, leaves have a medium texture with glossy dark green color on top and dull lighter green color below. In March of each year, a new flush of red foliage is produced, followed by clusters of small, white flowers. Scattered older leaves also turn red. Sun exposure enhances brightness of the leaves. Most find this red growth attractive, and are disappointed seeing that after 2 to 3 weeks the red leaves and shoots begin fading to dark green. Because each time the plant is trimmed it produces a new flush of red foliage, many trim often to encourage this red growth.
Flowers (pictured at the end) appear around easter on untrimmed limbs, and are not found on trimmed plants. They are small, white, and appear in attractive clusters called panicles. Fragrance is musty, and unpleasant to many. A berry-like fruit measuring less than 1/4 inch is produced, with a stone inside. This fruit at first appears white, and then it turns red and lastly black. It remains on the plant through fall and winter. Though it is eaten by many birds 
and other animals, it is slightly poisonous and not suitable for human consumption. No parts of the plant should be around horses, as it hydrolyzes in the horse stomach to produce a poison.
Redtip photinia can be propagated by rooting, but not by seeds. Stems can be rooted in water and then planted when roots appear, or they may be rooted in well-watered soil best maintained in a pot. Because of my experience rooting Knockout roses and various blueberry bushes, which are in the same family, I would not bother trying to root the tender and fast-growing red stems. Seeds would not produce true, as they are from a hybrid, and they are reported to have invasive potential.
Until recently, if redtip photinia had a fault, it was due to being too commonly used. But lately, most areas are having increasing problems with entomosporium leaf spot. This serious fungal disease thrives best on tender foliage and in dampness. Small circular, red spots appear on the surfaces of new leaves. On heavily diseased leaves, spots unite to form larger blotches, and leaves drop. The plant eventually dies. Plants least likely to succumb to this disease are those that are grown in more arid climates, those where efforts are made to minimize dampness, and those where tender new growth is minimized. As frequent trimming promotes more dense growth which impedes airflow through the 
plant, reduced trimming helps. Selective trimming and planting plants far enough apart allows more air flow. Where possible, other plant varieties should be interspersed to stall the easy spread of any fungus present. If watering is necessary, it should be given at ground level so as not to get the plant wet. Mulch is helpful to control weeds, which compete for water and nutrients, but it should not touch the stem or trunk. Products are available to treat plants for disease, but treatment is difficult and prevention is best.
The redtip photinia is still being planted in the Atlanta area, but not as much or as intensely as it has 
been. After an interesting beginning and a period of unbridled use, by observing proper caution the redtip photinia should remain a favorite of Southern landscapes.
