Raphiolepis indicaIndia hawthornEvergreen with pink flowersRaphiolepis deserves...

Raphiolepis indica

India hawthorn

Evergreen with pink flowers

Raphiolepis deserves a better fate. It is overused and underappreciated, the innocent victim of unimaginative plantings. Gas stations plunk down raphiolepis in those tiny patches of soil at the edge of their asphalt; raphiolepis hedges frequently border dreary concrete parking lots and tract-home landscapers often stick a few forlorn specimens against new foundations.

The plant’s adaptability, toughness and slow-growth habit have conspired to make it too popular: It will stand up to smog, heat, overwatering, drought and dogs, and it won’t spread or climb where it isn’t wanted, rarely growing taller than five feet; with regular pruning it can be kept to three feet.

Because it’s so useful and widely used, many people recoil when they see it--”I won’t have that in my yard”--because they associate it with low-rent, poorly planned settings.

But raphiolepis is beautiful. Its leaves are a lovely, unusual shade of dark green, with a faint hint of bluish-gray; new growth is often tinged with bronze.

Year-Round Beauty

From late fall through spring, the shrubs send up delicate flowers, usually pink, although there are white and red varieties too. These are followed by clusters of deep blue berries that linger on the bushes for months. Seasonal changes, floral displays, great leaf color, dependable size, reliably healthy--this is a great plant in need of a great site.

Any tall, dark- or medium-green shrub with compatible flower colors, such as camellia, will loom handsomely behind it. Even planted alone--perhaps along a driveway, reminiscent of all those parking lots--raphiolepis gives much more than it demands.

Raphiolepis is tough and usually carefree, but it does occasionally suffer from aphid infestations and fungus. It should have full sun everywhere except in the desert, where it needs protection from summer glare.

Most Southern California nurseries stock several varieties of raphiolepis, usually in one-gallon containers.