Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegata' (Variegated Tawhiwhi)
Classic Hardy Evergreen Shrub with Luminous Cream-Edged Foliage
Create timeless garden elegance with Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegata', a distinguished evergreen shrub that provides year-round luminous beauty through its classic variegated foliage. This upright-growing New Zealand native showcases beautiful small, rounded, wavy-edged, grey-green leaves narrowly margined with creamy-white that create a bright, luminous effect throughout all seasons. Small clusters of white flowers in late spring and early summer provide subtle honey fragrance, whilst the dense variegated foliage serves as an exceptional backdrop for garden displays, making it perfect for adding both structural interest and sophisticated colour contrast to any garden setting.
Key Features
- Plant Type: Hardy upright evergreen shrub
- Height: 4m
- Spread: 2m
- Flowering Period: May to June
- Flower Size: Small clusters of tiny flowers
- Flower Colour: White with honey fragrance
- Foliage: Grey-green leaves with narrow creamy-white margins
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -10 to -5 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H4)
- Growth Habit: Fast-growing, upright, dense
Luminous Variegated Foliage
The outstanding feature of 'Variegata' lies in its classic variegated foliage that creates a luminous, bright effect throughout the year. Small, rounded, wavy-edged, gray-green leaves narrowly margined with creamy-white provide a luminous and dense variegated foliage year-round. The greyish green leaves are delicately outlined in cream, with the unusual colouration of the eye-catching foliage making the shrub stand out. The glossy, wavy-edged leaves create attractive light play and provide constant visual interest in both sunny and partially shaded locations.
Classic Upright Growth Habit
'Variegata' displays a naturally upright, rounded growth habit that makes it excellent for creating height and structure in garden designs. Pittosporum tenuifolium is an evergreen species that can grow more than 30 feet tall, if left unpruned, predominantly growing much taller than it does wide, with a spread that is often half to two-thirds its height. This vigorous growth pattern makes it ideal for screening, hedging, and creating garden backdrops.
Fragrant Flowering Display
In late spring and early summer, 'Variegata' produces white flowers that are fragrant, creating a delightful sensory experience. Tiny chocolate flowers in the leaf axils in spring have a strong, sweet fragrance. While the flowers are small and inconspicuous, their sweet honey scent fills the air with delightful perfume, enhancing the garden's appeal beyond the stunning foliage display.
Excellent Coastal Tolerance
'Variegata' demonstrates exceptional coastal tolerance, making it valuable for seaside gardens where salt spray and wind can challenge other plants. Good for coastal gardens, this hardy shrub withstands maritime conditions whilst maintaining its attractive variegated foliage throughout the year.
Award-Winning Garden Performance
RHS AGM recognition confirms the exceptional garden merit of this variety, acknowledging its outstanding ornamental value and reliable performance in UK gardens.
Growing Requirements
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Soil and Position: Plant in spring or autumn in any reasonably fertile soil, in sun or shade, avoiding exposure to cold winds or ground prone to waterlogging. Aspect: South, east or west for optimal performance.
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Light Requirements: Glossy evergreen olive-green leaves feathered on the edges with pale cream develop best colouration in bright conditions, though the plant tolerates partial shade well.
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Soil Preferences: Acid, through neutral to alkaline soils are suitable, provided drainage is adequate. Avoid permanently waterlogged sites for optimal performance.
Care and Maintenance
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Pruning Requirements: No pruning is required but remove dead or damaged branches and trim to maintain shape in mid-spring. Trim as required, from spring to mid-summer to maintain desired size and shape.
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Watering Requirements: Drought resistant once established, though it should be kept moist if the foliage is to give of its best. Water regularly during establishment and dry periods for optimal foliage quality.
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Fertilising Programme: Mulch with compost in early spring to provide nutrients and retain moisture. Apply balanced fertiliser in spring to support healthy growth and enhance variegated foliage colour.
Design Applications
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Specimen Plantings: Outstanding as a standalone specimen where the luminous variegated foliage and upright form can be fully appreciated. Perfect for creating bright focal points and adding height to garden designs.
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Mixed Borders: Excellent for providing year-round structure and colour contrast in mixed plantings. The variegated foliage creates striking backdrop for seasonal flowers whilst maintaining consistent architectural interest.
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Hedge and Screen Plantings: Ideal for creating attractive hedging and privacy screens with added ornamental value. The fast growth rate and dense foliage make it excellent for establishing effective garden boundaries.
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Container Gardens: Suitable for large container cultivation, making it perfect for patios and formal arrangements. The upright growth habit provides excellent vertical interest in pot displays.
Seasonal Interest
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Spring Spectacle: New growth emerges with fresh, vibrant variegation as the plant enters its active growing phase. The fragrant white flowers provide delightful scent during late spring.
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Summer Structure: The glossy variegated foliage maintains its luminous effect throughout summer, providing consistent architectural interest and serving as an excellent backdrop for other flowering plants.
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Autumn Consistency: The evergreen nature ensures continued structural interest as other plants fade, with the cream-edged foliage becoming even more prominent in the autumn landscape.
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Winter Reliability: The hardy evergreen foliage provides year-round garden structure when many other plants are dormant, maintaining the luminous variegated effect throughout winter months.
Hardiness and Protection
Pittosporum tenuifolium Variegata is hardy, but requires shelter. Hardy in most UK locations with protection from cold winds. Choose a sheltered position with south, east, or west aspect for best performance and protection from harsh winter conditions.
Mature Size Expectations
Height 4-6m (13-20ft) with spread 2-3m (6-10ft) when mature, developing into an attractive upright shrub with dense branching. The fast growth rate allows for excellent garden planning and quick establishment of screening or hedging.
Why Choose 'Variegata'?
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegata' represents the perfect combination of classic variegated beauty, reliable growth performance, and exceptional garden versatility in a single outstanding shrub. The luminous cream-edged foliage that provides year-round interest, combined with fragrant flowers, excellent coastal tolerance, and RHS AGM recognition, creates a shrub that delivers maximum garden impact with proven reliability.
This exceptional variety offers outstanding value for gardeners seeking permanent structure and sophisticated colour interest with the added benefits of fragrant flowers and excellent adaptability. Whether used as specimen plantings, hedging, screening, or mixed border features, 'Variegata' provides the perfect balance of foliage elegance, structural presence, and garden dependability that makes it an essential addition to any garden seeking timeless appeal with luminous variegated beauty and award-winning performance.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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