Photinia Red Robin Standard tree thoughts

Wild_Violet

Hi, I’m still on the quest of putting the privacy back into my garden (long story) and looking for ideas for spot screening. 
A local garden centre has this nice standard photinia but at a fairly hefty price.  I wouldn’t invest so much in a box standard but wondered if photinia does better in terms of disease and reliability? I’m in central Scotland and it does get very cold here but would put the plant in the sunniest spot. Thanks for any advice. 🙂  

K67

They always look lovely until......https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1052156/photinia-tree-spots-and-bare-branches#latest

Wild_Violet

Hi, that’s what I was worried about. Not sure if it’s worth a big investment when I don’t have money to waste although I know there are no guarantees with any plant.
Thanks for you reply 😊

didyw

I planted a photinia a few years ago which has grown into a rather handsome small tree. I love it and wouldn't be without it now.  But it is in a fairly sheltered part of the garden and gets light from all directions except east.  If you don't want to splash out on a more developed plant, go for something smaller and enjoy it as a shrub for a few years.

Wild_Violet

@didyw That’s a beauty! I might try a smaller red robin elsewhere in my garden.
It’s the same old, same old - I  want some screening and I want it now! 🤣
Thanks for your reply. 😊

didyw

@Wild_Violet - I must add that my next door neighbour likes it too! Which is good as half of it is in his garden.

Nollie

I don’t think I would risk a large, expensive specimen where you are, they are not fully hardy in some parts of the UK and are susceptible to damage by cold winds and frost, which also seems to make the leaf spot worse for some reason. I inherited a large, natural tree form and it certainly suffers in a hard winter.

Wild_Violet

@didyw Must be nice to have a neighbour who doesn’t mind a bit of “spillage” of a lovely plant growing into their garden! 😊

Wild_Violet

@Nollie Thanks for that advice. Come to think of it, I haven’t noticed any growing in gardens around my area so that’s maybe a big clue as to how well it grows here. I went and had a look at the GC specimens and they had large one that was a few pounds short of £200! Really!!! The search goes on for inexpensive screening that doesn’t take over or gets chopped down by not so passive aggressive neighbours. 😬

K67

Pyracantha, if they are going to hack it you might as well bite back.
Have you posted a photo of the area anywhere?

alr252052vlK8gTkF

I bought 2 very large photinia plants shaped into screens nearly 3 years ago. I grow them in very large terracotta pots. The first year, no problem, but since then I have a battle with both black spot and vine beetles. I duly remove leaves and spray for black spot and use nematodes for beetles. This year I am giving neem oil a try for both in the hope I can keep these very expensive purchases alive. Any thoughts? I have no where to plant in the  ground.