Featured Tree

Featured Tree Archive

It’s All about Fragrance!

Victorian Box
Pittosporum undulatum (pih-tuh-SPORE-um  un-dyoo-LAY-tum)
(USDA Zones 9-10, Sunset’s Climate Zones 16-17, 21-24)
A beautiful, dome-shaped, evergreen tree from Australia, with intensely fragrant flowers…

The fragrance of this tree is what makes it special.  The tree in our backyard is a mature specimen and when it blooms, it permeates the entire yard.  If our windows are open, the fragrance comes right into the house.  In our climate, the flowers start opening in late February and the heavenly bloom period lasts for a few months, taking us from winter into spring.

When first planted, Victorian Box can be a bit gangly.  Tip prune to thicken it up, shape it carefully and be sure to properly stake the trunk.  It will grow quickly at first and then slow down to an eventual 30’-40’ rounded tree, as wide as high. The small creamy white flowers contrast nicely against the glossy green, wavy-edged leaves.

Planted at 5’-8’ spacing, Victorian Box can also be trained as a dense, informal screen.  Again, tip prune to thicken up the plants.  This plant was not meant to be sheared, so prune selectively to create the desired height and width.

While tolerant of drought and poor soils, the Victorian Box prefers regular watering and good drainage.  It will grow in full sun or part shade.  We feed our big tree a few times a year with a complete fertilizer and then water thoroughly.  If you live in an area with water that has a high salt content, try a few really deep soaks during the hot summer months to leach the salts out of the root zone. - Brenda Gousha