Plant Database
Shiny Xylosma
Xylosma congestum
Shiny Xylosma is a resilient and versatile evergreen shrub prized for its glossy, bronzy-red new growth that matures to a bright, shiny green. Its dense, upright habit and incredible tolerance for heat, drought, wind, and poor soil make it an outstanding, low-maintenance choice for tough hedges, screens, or foundation plantings in full sun to part shade.
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Valued for its attractive, glossy foliage that emerges with a bronze or reddish tint before turning a vibrant, shiny green, providing year-round visual interest.
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Naturally grows into a dense, upright, and rounded shrub that can be easily pruned into formal hedges, topiaries, or left in its natural form for screening.
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Exceptionally tough and adaptable; thrives in full sun or shade, tolerates heat, drought, wind, salt spray, and a wide range of soils with excellent drainage.
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Fast-growing, providing quick coverage. Virtually pest-free and requires minimal care once established—an ideal “plant it and forget it” shrub for difficult sites.
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Note: The species form (Xylosma congestum) can have sharp thorns on older wood. The more commonly sold ‘Compacta’ cultivar is thornless.