Pittosporum ‘Bannow Bay’ is the chameleon of the plant world: a botanical wonder that’ll set your borders ablaze as it continually reinvents itself with an ever-changing array of vivid leaf colours.
Famed for its wavy edged leaves, this constantly changing evergreen has earnt its title of Plant of the Month for November 2025 at Chestnut Nursery.
Young leaves emerge in bright shades of olive green, edged with eye-catching cream. As foliage matures during summer, leaves display pink, cream and green hues before the first frosts of autumn transform its appearance to rich crimson.
While this densely cloaked pittosporum is predominantly grown for its evolving leaf colours, plants can bear clusters of small, deep-purple flowers in early summer. Get up close when plants are in bloom and savour the flowers’ sweet, honey-like fragrance!
No room in your borders? No problem! ‘Bannow Bay’ makes a superb patio container specimen where it’ll delight with year-round colour, whatever the weather.
How big does Pittosporum ‘Bannow Bay’ grow?
Pittosporum ‘Bannow Bay’ is a compact shrub, growing to a height and spread of just 1m x 60cm. A neat and slow-growing habit makes it an ideal choice for smaller gardens, or borders where shrubs mustn’t outgrow their welcome.
Where is best to plant pittosporum?
‘Bannow ‘Bay’ is content in fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Dig in some well-rotted garden compost or Westland Farmyard Manure before planting, to give new shrubs the best start in life.
Thriving in loam, chalk or sandy soils, this pittosporum is unfussy about soil pH and is equally at home in acid, alkaline or neutral soils. Plants will thank you for a sunny or part-sunny position though – and they’re reasonably hardy throughout much of the UK, capable of surviving temperatures as low as -5 to -10C.
Where can I buy pittosporum?
Chestnut Nursery in Poole offers an extensive range of pittosporums for every garden situation.
You can find us at 75 Kingland Road, Poole BH15 1TN and we’re open seven days a week.