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Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Wrinkled Blue' - Wrinkled Blue Kohuhu
Key Features
- Plant Type: Hardy upright evergreen shrub
- Height: 4m
- Spread: 2m
- Flowering Period: May to June
- Flower Colour: Small inconspicuous purple flowers with fragrant scent
- Foliage: Distinctive wrinkled silvery-blue leaves with wavy edges on striking black stems
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -10 to-5 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H4)
- Growth Habit: Moderately fast-growing, upright, dense, naturally compact and pyramidal
Overview
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Wrinkled Blue' is a striking evergreen shrub that brings unique textural interest to gardens through its distinctive silvery-blue foliage. This upright-growing New Zealand native showcases beautiful small, wrinkled, wavy-edged leaves with a remarkable bluish tinge that creates a shimmering effect in the garden. The unusual combination of silvery-blue foliage against striking black stems makes this variety particularly eye-catching. With its distinctive appearance, subtle fragrant flowering display, and exceptional versatility for hedging and screening, this robust shrub provides year-round structural interest and sophisticated colour contrast to any garden setting.
Key Features
The outstanding feature of 'Wrinkled Blue' lies in its distinctive corrugated foliage that creates a unique silvery-blue shimmer throughout the year. The small, oval leaves display a brilliant bluish-grey colouration with characteristic wrinkled and wavy edges that catch and reflect light beautifully. These unusual textured leaves are carried on thin, striking black stems that provide dramatic contrast against the pale foliage. The glossy, wrinkled leaves create attractive light play and provide constant visual interest, with their airy habit allowing sunlight to accentuate the blue sheen and causing the leaves to shimmer in the breeze.
Growth Characteristics
This moderately fast-growing shrub displays a naturally upright, compact, and pyramidal growth habit that makes it excellent for creating structure and screening in garden designs. Mature plants typically reach 3-4 metres in height with a spread of 2-2.5 metres, developing into an attractive dense shrub with excellent branching characteristics. The vigorous but tidy growth pattern makes it ideal for formal hedging applications where it responds well to regular shearing, whilst in its natural form it maintains an elegant architectural presence that suits both formal and informal garden styles.
Flowering and Fragrance
In spring to early summer, 'Wrinkled Blue' produces small clusters of inconspicuous purple flowers that provide a delightful sensory experience. These subtle blooms emit a sweet fragrance that enhances the garden's appeal beyond the stunning foliage display. The reddish-purple flowers appear discretely amongst the silvery-blue foliage, creating a subtle but charming contrast that adds seasonal interest whilst maintaining the plant's sophisticated appearance.
Growing Conditions
This versatile shrub thrives in reasonably fertile, moist but well-drained soil, performing well in full sun to partial shade conditions. The silvery-blue leaves develop their best colouration and shimmer effect in bright, sunny positions, though the plant tolerates partial shade admirably. It adapts to acid, neutral, or alkaline soils provided drainage is adequate, making it suitable for a wide range of garden situations. Choose a position with protection from cold, drying winds for optimal performance, particularly in colder locations.
Hardiness and Climate Tolerance
'Wrinkled Blue' demonstrates good hardiness, rated H4 by the RHS, withstanding temperatures down to -10 to -5 degrees Celsius in most UK locations. The shrub shows excellent coastal tolerance, making it particularly suitable for hedging in milder coastal areas where it can withstand salt spray and maritime conditions. Young plants may need protection in colder locations, especially from cold, drying winds, but once established they prove remarkably resilient and maintain their attractive appearance throughout the year.
Care and Maintenance
This relatively low-maintenance shrub requires minimal care once established. Water regularly during the establishment period and dry spells, though it becomes reasonably drought-tolerant once mature. The plant benefits from moderate to regular watering to maintain the best foliage colour and texture. Mulch with compost in early spring to provide nutrients and retain moisture, and apply balanced fertiliser in spring to support healthy growth. Pruning is not essential but can be carried out lightly in late winter to maintain shape, or the plant can be trimmed from spring to mid-summer for formal hedging applications.
Garden Applications
'Wrinkled Blue' excels in numerous garden roles, making it an exceptionally versatile choice for contemporary garden design. As a specimen planting, it creates outstanding focal points where the unique silvery-blue foliage and distinctive black stems can be fully appreciated. The plant is particularly effective for hedging and screening applications, where its dense growth habit and tolerance of regular clipping make it ideal for creating formal boundaries with year-round interest. In mixed borders, it provides excellent structural backbone and colour contrast, creating a sophisticated backdrop for seasonal flowers whilst maintaining consistent architectural presence.
Container Growing
This shrub adapts well to large container cultivation, making it perfect for patios, courtyards, and formal arrangements. The upright, compact growth habit provides excellent vertical interest in pot displays, whilst the unusual silvery-blue foliage adds sophisticated texture and colour to container gardens. Regular watering and feeding are essential for container-grown specimens to maintain their distinctive appearance and healthy growth.
Seasonal Interest
Throughout spring, new growth emerges with fresh, vibrant silvery-blue colouration as the plant enters its active growing phase, complemented by the subtle fragrant purple flowers. Summer brings consistent architectural interest as the wrinkled foliage maintains its distinctive shimmer effect, serving as an excellent backdrop for other plants whilst creating its own dramatic statement. The evergreen nature ensures continued structural interest through autumn and winter when many other plants fade, with the silvery-blue foliage becoming even more prominent against the winter landscape and providing reliable year-round garden structure.
Pest and Disease Resistance
Generally robust and trouble-free, 'Wrinkled Blue' may occasionally encounter leaf spot or powdery mildew, particularly in humid conditions or poor air circulation. However, these issues are typically minor and easily managed with good garden hygiene and appropriate positioning. The plant's natural vigour and hardiness mean it generally maintains good health with minimal intervention.
Why Choose 'Wrinkled Blue'?
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Wrinkled Blue' represents a unique combination of distinctive foliage colour, excellent structural qualities, and proven garden performance. The unusual silvery-blue wrinkled leaves on striking black stems provide year-round visual interest that few other evergreen shrubs can match. Combined with reliable hardiness, excellent coastal tolerance, and outstanding versatility for both formal and informal applications, this remarkable shrub delivers maximum garden impact with proven reliability. Whether used for distinctive specimen plantings, elegant hedging, effective screening, or sophisticated mixed border features, 'Wrinkled Blue' offers gardeners something truly special that will enhance any garden with its unique character and timeless appeal.
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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