Photinia fraseri Magical Volcano - Christmas Berry

The Photinia fraseri 'Magical Volcano' 'Kolmavoca' is a new selection of photinia that is remarkable throughout the year for its young foliage, which is remarkably coloured in shades of red to purple. From January to December, they light up its older foliage, which is a bright and shiny green, with small flames that retain their vibrant colours for a long time. And like all photinias, when left untrimmed, it produces clusters of white and frothy flowers in late spring, which contrast with the young shoots and the older foliage on a beautiful multicolored bush. Comfortable in any good garden soil, including coastal areas, this new Photinia easily adapts to areas that are not too cold in winter.

The Photinia x fraseri or Fraser Photinia is an old horticultural creation born in 1940 in the USA. This hybrid is the result of cross-breeding between the Photinia glabra, native to Japan, and the Photinia serrulata, native to China. It has given birth to some famous cultivars, including 'Red Robin', which is widely planted in our parks and gardens. In recent years, some beautiful new cultivars have been created, more compact, more colourful and better suited to small spaces, such as 'Magical Volcano'.

Reaching an average of 2m (6 ft 7 in) in height and 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in spread, the Photinia 'Magical Volcano' has a rather upright bushy habit, and shows a fast growth. Its foliage is evergreen in winter, composed of leaves arranged alternately on the branches. They are tough and glossy on the top, about 5-7cm (2-2.8 in) long, finely and strongly toothed on the edges, slightly undulating. When they emerge, they have a superb red colour that slowly changes to purple-violet, then bronze, and finally to a bright green when mature, at around one year old. In many other varieties, this transition from red to green takes only a few weeks in spring, so that the foliage is uniformly green in summer and winter if the bush is not regularly pruned. Flowering takes place from April to June depending on the climate and region. Clusters of small white flowers appear on the reddish branches, reaching 10cm (3.9 in) in diameter, mainly at the ends of the branches. They are slightly fragrant and attract many pollinating insects.

In addition to the beautiful colouring of its young foliage, its hardiness and adaptability to all soil types have earned the Photinia x fraseri worldwide success. 'Magical Volcano' can tolerate all types of well-drained soil, from deep and moist to dry, in sunny or semi-shaded locations. It is an easy-to-grow and easy-to-maintain bush that can withstand temperatures down to -15°C if exposed to the sun. Of course, it is ideal for creating medium-sized hedges, trimmed or untrimmed, and it adapts to container cultivation and looks magnificent in borders. Very ornamental, it can also be planted as a specimen in a small garden. There are many possible combinations depending on the region and the taste of each gardener: with other evergreen shrubs that are easy to grow, such as Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta, laurels, Rhamnus alaternus Argenteovariegata, Berberis, Olearia, holly, or Osmanthus. It can also be paired with other white-flowering shrubs in spring, such as Spireas (Spiraea Vanhouttei, Spiraea Grefsheim...) or Lilac.

Tips: Excessively chalky or too clayey and compact soils should be avoided. Pruning for balance is necessary in summer.