Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Bay Breeze Indian Hawthorn
Bay Breeze is a low, spreading Indian hawthorn, about 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Clusters of fragrant pink flowers open over dark green leaves in spring, and the foliage turns deep maroon in cold weather. It works as a low evergreen cover, a short hedge or a foundation shrub. In the Valley it does best with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Best for: low evergreen cover along an east-facing walk or bed, short hedges, foundation planting, and spring flowers for bees.
It spreads 4 to 6 feet wide while staying 2 to 3 feet tall. A few plants cover a strip along an east-facing walk or the front of a bed.
Its dense dark green leaves make a low hedge or foundation planting. It keeps its shape with light pruning after the spring bloom.
The leaves turn deep maroon in cold weather, then back to green. Blue-black berries follow the spring flowers.
Hot west sun and reflected heat stress it. Alkaline soil can turn the leaves yellow, and overhead sprinklers raise the risk of leaf spot.
- Hedge or ground cover30 in apart
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, soak deeply about every 5 to 7 days in peak summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter. Keep water off the leaves.
Plant it on an east side with morning sun and afternoon shade. Hot west sun stresses it, and deep shade cuts flowering.
Prune lightly right after the flowers fade, and skip regular shearing.
If the leaves turn yellow between the veins, treat with an iron product. Mulch the soil and mix compost in at planting.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Bay Breeze get?
It grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. It grows at a moderate pace into a low, mounded spread, so give each plant that width.
Does Bay Breeze smell good?
Yes. The pink spring flowers are fragrant, so plant it along a walk or near a patio.
Does it change color in winter?
Yes. The dark green leaves turn deep maroon in cold weather and go back to green as it warms. The color change is normal.
Is it resistant to leaf spot?
Bay Breeze was selected for leaf-spot resistant foliage. Still water at the base, not overhead, and leave room for air.
Where should I plant it in Phoenix?
Plant it on an east side with morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep it away from hot west walls and reflected heat.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, soak deeply about every 5 to 7 days in peak summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter, at the base.
When should I prune it?
Prune it lightly, right after the spring bloom. It keeps its shape with little help.
Why are the leaves yellow?
The usual cause is low iron in alkaline soil, which yellows the leaves between the veins. Treat it with an iron product for plants.
Bay Breeze vs Dwarf Pinkie?
Both are compact Indian hawthorns with pink spring flowers. Bay Breeze spreads wider, 4 to 6 feet, with maroon winter leaves. Dwarf Pinkie is a small mound about 3 feet wide.
Bay Breeze Indian Hawthorn for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Bay Breeze (Rhaphiolepis indica 'Hines Darkleaf') is a spreading Indian hawthorn with large dark green leaves, fragrant pink spring flowers and maroon winter color. Below: size, where it grows best in the Valley, watering, pruning, leaf spot and yellow leaves.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Bay Breeze Indian hawthorn in Arizona
Bay Breeze is a low, spreading Indian hawthorn with fragrant pink spring flowers. In the Valley it does best on an east side with afternoon shade.
How wide does Bay Breeze get?
It spreads 4 to 6 feet wide and stays 2 to 3 feet tall, which makes it a low evergreen cover or short hedge.
Bay Breeze winter color
The dark green leaves turn deep maroon in cold weather. Blue-black berries follow the spring flowers.
Watering Indian hawthorn in Phoenix
Once rooted, water deeply about every 5 to 7 days in peak summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter. Water at the base to keep the leaves dry.
When to prune Bay Breeze
Prune lightly right after the spring bloom, around April or May in the Valley. It keeps a neat form on its own.
Indian hawthorn leaf spot
Leaf spot shows up in cool, wet weather and under overhead sprinklers. Bay Breeze was selected for resistance, but water at the base all the same.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.