Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mock Orange Pittosporum
Mock Orange Pittosporum is a full-size evergreen shrub with thick, glossy dark green leaves and a rounded shape. In spring it covers itself in creamy-white flower clusters that smell like orange blossoms. It grows into a dense hedge or screen, typically 6 to 15 feet tall, and can be trained as a small tree. It does well on the east side of a Valley home.
Best for: evergreen hedges and screens on an east side, foundation plantings, borders, large containers, and a small tree with training.
Planted 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center, it grows into a dense evergreen hedge or screen. The thick glossy leaves stay on all year. Shape the hedge by heading back select stems rather than shearing it.
It does best along the east side of a house, where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep it off west walls, where the leaves scorch. It also works in borders and large containers.
Clusters of small creamy-white flowers open in spring with a sweet orange-blossom scent. Bees and other pollinators visit them, so plant it where you can enjoy the scent from a patio or walk.
Hot west or afternoon sun scorches the leaves in the Valley. It needs regular summer water and looks worn in long dry spells. Soggy soil brings root rot, so plant it where water drains.
- Plant to plant8-12 ft apart, center to center
- Hedge or screenAbout 8 ft apart, center to center
Water every few days at first, then stretch the time between waterings over the first couple of months. Keep it on a steady schedule through its first year.
Water about weekly in summer, and more often in extreme heat. Water less often in winter. Rooted plants handle a dry spell but look worn.
An east side with morning sun and afternoon shade is best in the Valley. Keep it off west walls, where the leaves scorch.
It needs very little pruning. To shape it, head back select stems rather than shearing it.
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water, or use insecticidal soap. For scale, a horticultural oil spray is the usual treatment.
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.
Why is it called Mock Orange?
The small creamy-white spring flowers smell like orange blossoms, which is where the name comes from.
How big does Mock Orange Pittosporum get?
It typically grows 6 to 15 feet tall and about as wide, depending on age and care, at a moderate pace. Plant it 8 to 12 feet apart so it has room.
How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?
Plant them about 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center, or about 8 feet apart for a tighter hedge. The Spacing tab counts plants for your row.
When is the best time to plant it?
Fall is best, so it roots in before summer. Planting from September through April works, while summer planting is the hardest on a new plant.
Can Mock Orange Pittosporum take full sun in Phoenix?
It is sold for sun to part shade, but in the Valley an east side or afternoon shade is best. West sun scorches the leaves.
How often should I water it?
Water it about weekly in summer, and more often in extreme heat. Keep new plants on a steady schedule the first year. Rooted plants handle dry spells but look worn.
Is it a low-water plant?
No. In the Valley it needs regular summer water to look its best. Plan on about weekly water in summer.
Should I shear it?
It is better not to. Cut back select stems lightly to shape it, and it needs little pruning beyond that.
Can it be grown as a small tree?
Yes. It grows as a shrub or small tree, and it can be trained to a tree form.
What soil does it need?
It grows in most soils, from sand to clay, as long as water drains. Soil that stays wet can cause root rot.
What pests bother it?
Aphids and scale are the common ones. Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water, or use insecticidal soap. For scale, a horticultural oil spray is the usual treatment.
How cold can it take?
It takes about 15°F, so it handles a normal Valley winter without frost cover.
Mock Orange Pittosporum for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mock Orange Pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira) is an evergreen shrub from Japan, China and Korea, named for its orange-blossom scented spring flowers. It grows into a rounded hedge or screen. Below you will find its size, spacing, sun and shade in the Valley, water, soil, pruning, pests and cold.
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.
Does Mock Orange Pittosporum grow well in Arizona?
Yes, on the east side of a house. It is an evergreen shrub with glossy dark green leaves and orange-blossom scented flowers in spring. It grows into a dense hedge or screen 6 to 15 feet tall.
How far apart do you plant Mock Orange Pittosporum?
Plant about 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center, for a hedge or screen. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
What is the best side of the house for pittosporum in Phoenix?
The east side is best. Morning sun and afternoon shade keep the leaves from scorching, so avoid planting it against a west wall.
How often do you water Mock Orange Pittosporum?
Water about weekly in summer and more often in heat, with a steady schedule the first year. It is not a low-water plant in the Valley.
How do you prune pittosporum without shearing?
It needs very little pruning. Shape it by cutting back select stems lightly rather than shearing the whole shrub.
What is the difference between Mock Orange, Dwarf and Variegated Pittosporum?
All three are Pittosporum tobira with scented spring flowers. Mock Orange is the full-size shrub. Dwarf Pittosporum stays about 2 to 3 feet, and Variegated Pittosporum has gray-green leaves edged in cream.
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.