Shiny Xylosma
Shiny Xylosma
Xylosma congestum
Item #7695 USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 - 11



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Versatile hedge or screening plant displays bronzy young foliage on spreading, gracefully arching branches. Takes shearing well, easily trained as espalier. Tolerates heat. Evergreen.
- OverviewLight Needs:Partial to full sunWatering Needs:Water regularly in extreme heat; less often, once established.Average Landscape Size:Moderate grower to 10 to 12 ft. tall and wide.Key Feature:Hedge PlantBlooms:Inconspicuous
- DetailBotanical Pronunciation:zi-LOS-ma kon-GES-tumPlant type:ShrubDeciduous/evergreen:EvergreenGrowth habit:SpreadingGrowth rate:ModerateAverage landscape size:Moderate grower to 10 to 12 ft. tall and wide.Special features:Bird Friendly, Easy Care, Ornamental Berries, Waterwise, Year-round InterestFoliage color:GreenBlooms:InconspicuousGarden styleContemporaryDesign IdeasXylosma can be used as either a shrub or small tree in the landscape. Makes a fine natural hedge gently pruned to size or it will adapt to mild shearing for a more formal appearance. Allow it to grow naturally for a shiny light green background for beds and borders. Excellent for breaking up long fence lines or for de-emphasizing large multistory walls in foundation planting.Companion PlantsShrub Rose (Rosa); Passion Vine (Passiflora); Purple Hopseed Bush (Dodonaea); Lantana (Lantana); Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia)
- CareCare InformationFollow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Water deeply, less frequently, once established. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape.Pruning time: spring.Light Needs:Partial to full sunWatering Needs:Water regularly in extreme heat; less often, once established.
- History & LoreHistory:This genus contains about one hundred species of evergreens found everywhere in the tropics and subtropics except Africa. The plant was discovered in China by Portuguese Jesuit missionary Juan Louriero, 1715-1796 whose descriptions reached Dutch botanist Friedrich Miquel. However, the final classification was made by English botanists at Kew Gardens or via the London Horticultural Society.Lore:When in bloom, xylosmas draw bees in droves which makes this shrub vital in wildlife gardens and an undesirable plant near swimming pools.