Trend 2026: Photinia gives way to Pittosporum for tougher hedges

A shrub that has been overlooked until now could put an end to this headache for good from 2026.

Anyone who planted Photinia in recent years will recognise the pattern: at first it looks fantastic with its red flush and glossy green, but a few seasons later come the spots, bare patches and ongoing hassle. Many garden professionals are now calling time on it and choosing a different, noticeably tougher hedge shrub instead: Pittosporum. Here’s what is driving the change - and why it could be just as relevant for UK gardens.

Photinia is losing its shine in the garden

For years, Photinia has been a go-to choice in new-build areas and suburban streets. It puts on growth quickly, produces attractive reddish new leaves and gives strong screening from neighbours - exactly what many people want from a hedge.

But as conditions shift, its weaknesses are becoming impossible to ignore. Milder winters and damp springs create ideal circumstances for fungal diseases. Leaves develop brown or black spots, drop earlier than they should, and whole sections of hedge end up thin, patchy and scruffy.

When people try to tackle the decline, they often throw everything at it at once: cutting back more frequently, applying fungicides, feeding, and improving the soil. That approach costs time, money and patience - and even then the plant often bounces back only slowly.

"Many hedge owners are putting ever more effort into Photinia – and still getting less and less green back."

This is the point at which many gardeners decide they want out. They start looking for a hedge that stays reliably dense without turning into a recurring annual problem - which is where Pittosporum comes in.

Pittosporum: the robust successor for problem hedges

Pittosporum - often sold as pittosporum or as a sticky-seed shrub in garden centres - has been a quiet favourite among specialists for some time. Now it is moving firmly into the spotlight as a hedge plant.

The main advantages at a glance

• Evergreen and dense: The foliage stays on the shrub all year and quickly forms a closed screen.
• Strong resilience: It is far less prone to leaf diseases than Photinia.
• Low maintenance: In most gardens, one trim a year is usually enough.
• Handles drought better: In hot summers, Pittosporum tends to stay vigorous for longer.
• Easy to shape: Works for crisp, clipped hedges as well as looser, more natural planting.

Once established, Pittosporum asks for surprisingly little. Add a layer of mulch and water consistently during the first two years, and you can end up with a hedge that largely looks after itself afterwards.

"Pittosporum doesn’t just save watering cans and sprays, but above all one thing: time."

How Pittosporum fits into UK front gardens

Pittosporum originally comes from milder climates. However, newer varieties cope with central and northern European winters better than many people previously assumed - particularly in built-up areas and other sheltered, warmer microclimates.

A bright position is best, ideally with some protection from wind. The soil can be fertile, but it does not need to be perfect - the key is avoiding waterlogging. In colder areas, a sheltered spot close to a house wall can make sense.

Feature	Photinia	Pittosporum
Disease susceptibility	high in damp springs	low to moderate
Maintenance effort	often several rounds of cutting and spraying	usually one cut per year
Drought tolerance	moderate	good once established
Appearance	red new growth, later green	various leaf colours, sometimes variegated

Trend 2026: moving away from single-species hedges

Alongside the shift from Photinia to Pittosporum, thinking around hedges is changing more broadly. Long, uniform runs of a single species are increasingly seen as risky. If a new disease or pest arrives, it can hit the entire boundary at once.

That is why many garden designers are leaning more towards mixed hedges. Pittosporum often plays a key part, but it is deliberately paired with other robust shrubs. Common companions include Elaeagnus, several dogwood types, or native woody plants.

"If you mix several shrubs, you create a hedge that not only looks good, but also weathers crises far better."

Possible partners for Pittosporum

• Elaeagnus: Extremely tough, copes with wind and drought, often with silvery foliage.
• Cornus (dogwood): Offers colourful stems in winter and flowers in spring.
• Privet: A classic hedge plant, tolerant of clipping and typically inexpensive.
• Osmanthus: Evergreen with scented flowers, a good option for smaller gardens.
• Regional/native shrubs and small trees: For example viburnum, amelanchier or hornbeam to increase biodiversity.

These mixed plantings also provide extra food and shelter for birds and insects. That generally benefits the garden’s overall balance and helps keep pests in check.

What matters when switching from Photinia to Pittosporum

If you are replacing a weakened Photinia hedge, it is not a good idea to simply plant over the top. The best approach is to remove affected plants completely, including the root ball. After that, it can be worth giving the soil a break for a few months, using green manure or adding a light dressing of compost.

When planting Pittosporum, it often pays to set plants slightly closer together so the hedge closes up quickly. Water regularly in the first two years; after that, a strong root system develops and copes with dry spells much better.

It is also sensible to build in diversity from the start, rather than recreating a single-species line. Adding just two or three additional woody species can make the hedge noticeably more stable.

Why hardy hedges will be even more in demand

Heatwaves, late frosts and heavy rainfall are all becoming more common, putting traditional hedge plants under pressure. Shrubs that were considered “easy” 20 years ago are now reaching their limits. Switching to species such as Pittosporum is therefore more than a short-lived fashion - it reflects the push for planting that can handle bigger swings in weather.

At the same time, many gardeners want less work. The hedge should provide privacy, look good and ideally offer habitat too - without the hedge trimmer becoming a weekend fixture.

Pittosporum sits right in that overlap: low enough maintenance, robust against common diseases, and flexible in how it can be used. Combined with other resilient species, it supports a new generation of hedges that better suits the conditions expected from 2026 onwards.

So if you are about to replace a tired, gappy Photinia row or you are planning a new garden from scratch, Pittosporum and mixed hedges are well worth putting on the shortlist. There is a good chance that, within a few years, this shrub will feel as standard in garden centres as its struggling predecessor does today.