Pittosporum 'Warnham Gold'

Muscrat

Hello all,

  We have 2 Warnham Gold in our border, they have been there since we moved to our new property 3 years ago, they were originally in large pots at our previous home and no higher than approx 4 feet high, they have doubled in height and are the most beautiful glowing yellow during the winter however the recent plethora of storms have made them very unstable in the soil even though they are protected by a 6 foot fence. As I mentioned our present home is a 3 year old 'new build' the top soil is very fertile and about a spit and a half deep, sadly beneath the soil is heavy chalky clay as is common for this area of the Chilterns, I fear the root system of the trees have taken the path of least resistance and not penetrated the clay leaving them with a very shallow footing however I would appreciate any advice on my theory, I would hate to loose them so stabilising them is my main objective, any thoughts please.   

Muscrat

Marlorena

...the most beautiful Pittosporum ever but unfortunately not terribly hardy in my East Anglian garden.. cut to the ground when temps got to -10C for any length of time..
...all you need to do to stabilise it, is to cut the tops off, about 1 foot or so, and stamp around the soil close to the plant in case it has loosened... they will quickly rebound during the season.... they are shallow rooted and easily taken out the ground in severe gales, when young, or if allowed to become too tall in exposed areas... nothing to do with your soil...

..you could also put a metal stake in if you have one available until they are more established.... be prepared for winter die backs though if you do suffer from the occasional bitter winter...
..best of luck... 

KeenOnGreen

We have a 2 metre tall column shaped Pittosporum (a different variety though).  Because it is tall and narrow it is susceptible to wind rock.  We have shoved several bamboo canes down through the branches of the plant and into the soil, which has stabilised it, and the foliage is so dense that you cannot see the canes (so they can remain there permanently).  This solution works well for us.

Muscrat

Many thanks for your responses, as I thought these trees do have a shallow footing I guess I just needed it confirming, both trees are now staked and tied in and hopefully wind rock will be minimised allowing time to develop their roots. Thanks very much...... Muskrat.