🌿 Top 10 Pittosporum Varieties to Grow in Your Garden

Looking to add year-round structure, colour, and texture to your garden? Pittosporum might just be your new best friend. These evergreen beauties are native to New Zealand and parts of Asia, and they’re brilliant for hedging, topiary, borders, and containers.

From deep purples to silvery greens and creamy variegations, there’s a Pittosporum for every garden style — whether you’re going for formal, coastal, contemporary, or wildlife-friendly.

Here are 10 of the best Pittosporum varieties to grow, complete with planting tips to help you pick the right one for your space.

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1. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’

🪴 Perfect for: Small gardens, containers, low hedging
📏 Size: 1.2m tall × 1m wide

With dramatic purple-black foliage and a naturally compact form, ‘Tom Thumb’ is a total showstopper. It’s slow-growing and neat, which makes it ideal for edging or adding depth to borders. Just give it a bit of shelter from harsh winter winds.

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2. Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’

🪴 Perfect for: Coastal gardens, dry spots, formal edging
📏 Size: 0.6m × 1m

This dwarf evergreen has glossy green leaves and fragrant, citrusy flowers in late spring. Super tidy and low-maintenance, it thrives in sun and poor soil — great for low borders or Mediterranean-style planting.

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3. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’

🪴 Perfect for: Hedges, feature shrubs
📏 Size: 2.5–4m tall × 2–3m wide

‘Silver Queen’ has beautiful cream-edged leaves that light up shady areas, and the small, dark purple flowers are honey-scented in late spring. It clips well too, so it’s fantastic for informal hedging or structure.

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4. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Irene Paterson’

🪴 Perfect for: Light shade, feature planting
📏 Size: 1.5–2m × 1.5m

This variegated variety has white and green marbled leaves, flushed pink in cool weather — it almost glows in a shady border. It’s slow-growing and best in a sheltered spot where it won’t get wind-battered.

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5. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’

🪴 Perfect for: Topiary, box alternatives
📏 Size: 1m × 1m

Love the look of box balls but worried about blight? ‘Golf Ball’ is your solution. It naturally grows in a rounded shape and stays compact with little to no pruning. Fresh green foliage adds a crisp touch to borders or formal beds.

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6. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Elizabeth’

🪴 Perfect for: Soft screens, mixed borders
📏 Size: 2.5–3m × 1.5–2m

This upright variety has cream-edged leaves with a blush of pink, especially in cooler months. It’s upright, elegant, and adds subtle year-round colour. Lovely paired with ornamental grasses or underplanted with perennials.

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7. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Wrinkled Blue’

🪴 Perfect for: Contrast in borders
📏 Size: 2–3m × 2m

As the name suggests, this one’s all about foliage texture — blue-grey with a softly crinkled look. It works beautifully as a backdrop for brighter colours or with silver-leaved plants like lavender and artemisia.

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8. Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegatum’

🪴 Perfect for: Coastal and dry gardens
📏 Size: 2m × 2m

This tough shrub thrives in sun and salt-laden winds. Its cream-edged leaves and fragrant white flowers make it a great option for screening or structural planting in exposed spots.

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9. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Ball’

🪴 Perfect for: Contemporary gardens, repeated planting
📏 Size: 1.5m × 1.5m

Silver Ball does what it says — a tidy, round form with silvery-green foliage. It looks amazing in minimalist planting schemes or dotted through gravel gardens for a soft architectural feel.

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10. Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegatum’

🪴 Perfect for: Light screening, larger gardens
📏 Size: 4–6m × 3m

This variegated form of lemonwood has tall, upright growth and glossy leaves edged in creamy yellow. The crushed leaves give off a citrus scent, and the greenish-yellow flowers are a pollinator magnet in early summer.

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🌱 Growing Tips for Pittosporum

• ☀️ Sun or partial shade – Most thrive in full sun or dappled shade.
• 🌬️ Shelter from wind – Especially in colder regions.
• 🌿 Well-drained soil – Avoid soggy conditions.
• ✂️ Prune lightly in spring – To keep a neat shape or encourage new growth.