Variegated Pittosporum for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on July 12, 2022

Planting instructions

Choose a spot for your pittosporum that gets at least four hours of direct light a day, with soil that drains well. Unpot the shrub, and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the bush in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding the bush upright and steady, fill in around the roots with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of an organic mulch, such as bark chips, to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth.

Watering and nutrients

During your shrub’s first year, water every few days or whenever the soil is dry. Once the plant is established and showing signs of robust new growth, you can taper back on watering. A mature pittosporum will only need supplemental watering in conditions that are very dry or drought-like. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release product that’s designed for landscape trees and shrubs, such as a 10-10-10 formula.

Pollination

The small but fragrant flowers of the variegated pittosporum are attractive to pollinators such as bees, and pollination leads to small woody seed capsules, which eventually burst to release the seeds. It’s also common to propagate pittosporum shrubs through cuttings, which are treated with a root-promoting compound and planted in a potting mix to produce new plants.

Pruning

Prune your variegated pittosporum to remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches whenever you see them. Prune to shape the bush or control its height in late winter, before new growth starts in the spring. Left unpruned, pittosporum will take on an attractive rounded or pyramidal shape. It may be pruned, however, to form a hedge or into a more formal shape, although you should never remove more than one-third of the plant’s growth in a single year.

Pests and diseases

Some common insect pests to watch for include aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs. A healthy plant can usually withstand minor infestations. Consider releasing or encouraging beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, which eat aphids. The most common diseases seen on pittosporum plants are angular leaf spot, Southern blight, and root rot. These are fungal in origin. Fungicides may help, and so can avoiding overwatering. Water at the base of the plant, and try not to get the leaves wet.

Achieving maximum results

The variegated pittosporum is hardy down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you live in an area that sees colder weather, you can consider growing them in pots that are brought inside or protected from the cold during winter months. Choose a pot that’s about twice the size of the root ball with good drainage holes, and use a good-quality potting mix. Keep in mind that container-grown plants often need more watering and feeding than those that are grown in the ground, so check your shrub frequently to see if it needs water. It will probably stay smaller than the shrub’s usual maximum height of 6 to 8 feet, since the roots are constrained by the pot, but you can also prune to keep it to a more manageable size.

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