December plants
Jimi Blake is the owner and creator of Hunting Brook Gardens. huntingbrook.com
PITTOSPORUM DAPHNIPHYLLOIDES
This is a superior evergreen shrub that I would love to see used more. From March until June it produces panicles of scented, yellow flowers, followed in summer by red fruits, which by winter turn black. If grown in a sheltered spot, the leathery leaves look healthy all year. I suggest pruning it to create a small evergreen tree as otherwise it has a scruffy habit. It survived the winter of 2010 when the temperatures got to -10°C. I propagate it by cuttings in summer, but it can also be propagated easily by seeds sown in spring when they are ripe.
Height 2-5m.
Origin China, Taiwan.
Conditions Well-drained soil; full sun and
