Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Variegated Pittosporum
Variegated Pittosporum has gray-green leaves edged in creamy white, packed into a dense rounded mound. It keeps that uniform shape with little or no pruning, so it works as a foundation shrub, a natural or trimmed hedge, or a container plant. Small white flowers in spring smell like orange blossoms. It grows about 5 to 10 feet tall over time.
Best for: east-side foundation plantings, natural or trimmed hedges, borders, and patio containers where cream-edged leaves stand out.
Its gray-green and cream leaves form a uniform mound that holds its shape with little or no pruning, a good fit along the house.
Planted 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, it fills in as a hedge or screen. It can be left natural or kept trimmed. Shape it by heading back select stems rather than shearing.
It grows well in a container on a patio or by an entry, and it makes a long-lived pot plant. Give the pot an east side or afternoon shade in summer.
Hot west or afternoon sun scorches the leaves in the Valley. It needs regular summer water, and soggy soil brings root rot.
- Plant to plant6-8 ft apart, center to center
- Hedge or screenAbout 6 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.
It needs an east side or afternoon shade in the Valley. West sun scorches the cream-edged leaves.
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.
What do Variegated Pittosporum leaves look like?
The leaves are gray-green with creamy white edges, thick and packed into a dense mound. Plant it where the cream edges can brighten a shady side of the house.
How big does Variegated Pittosporum get?
Usually about 5 feet tall and wide, and older plants can reach about 10 feet. It grows a little slower than the all-green shrub. Plant it 6 to 8 feet apart so it has room.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant it about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, for a hedge or screen. The Spacing tab will count 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 Variegated Pittosporum take full sun in Phoenix?
It does not do well in full sun here. In the Valley, plant it on an east side or where it gets afternoon shade. West sun scorches the leaves.
How often should I water it?
Water about weekly in summer and more often in the heat. Keep new plants on a steady schedule the first year.
Does it need pruning?
It needs very little pruning, since it keeps a uniform mound on its own. If you shape it, cut back select stems rather than shearing.
Does it flower?
Yes. Small white flowers open in spring with an orange-blossom scent, so plant it near a door or patio where you can enjoy it.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It grows well in a container. Keep the pot out of hot afternoon sun.
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 is frost hardy in Phoenix and needs no frost cover in a normal Valley winter.
How is it different from Mock Orange and Dwarf Pittosporum?
All three are Pittosporum tobira. Variegated has cream-edged leaves and grows a little slower. Mock Orange is the full-size green shrub, and Dwarf stays about 2 to 3 feet.
Variegated Pittosporum for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Variegated Pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira 'Variegata') is the cream-edged form of mock orange. It forms a dense, uniform mound and carries orange-blossom scented flowers in spring. Below is what to expect, including size, spacing, the right side of the house, water, soil, pruning and how it compares with the green forms.
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.
Variegated Pittosporum in Arizona
Variegated Pittosporum has gray-green leaves edged in cream on a dense, uniform mound. It flowers in spring with an orange-blossom scent and needs little pruning.
How far apart to plant Variegated Pittosporum
Plant about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, for a hedge or screen. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
Where to plant Variegated Pittosporum in Phoenix
Put it on the east side of the house or anywhere with afternoon shade. West sun scorches the leaves in the Valley.
Watering Variegated Pittosporum
Water about weekly in summer and more often in the heat. Keep new plants on a steady schedule the first year, and never let the soil stay soggy.
Variegated Pittosporum in containers
It grows well in containers on patios and by entries. Keep the pot in morning sun and afternoon shade.
Variegated vs green pittosporum
Variegated Pittosporum has cream-edged gray-green leaves and grows a little slower, usually about 5 feet. The green Mock Orange can reach 6 to 15 feet.
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.