Is this Photinia?

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by JohnHenrySDM

Are there signs of disease in my pictures, or are you just warning me that this species is particularly vulnerable to disease?

That^^.

An excellent replacement shrub is Cleyera japonica. I replaced several red tips, years ago, with cleyera, and they are a great improvement.

[CptnRn]

Definitly Red Tipped Photinia. I have found they grow really well in Austin, TX and were not particularly disease prone unless you prune them a lot, then they to seem to have problems. They can be very attractive with the red color of new growth in the spring.

When we bought our first home 1981, I planted these shrubs all of the way around our back yard for privacy, because I had seen other yards in the area done that way. They did really well for 20+ years. The only one that did not do well was in heavy shade of a red oak tree that I also planted. They grew up fast, so tall and thick that I eventually had to prune and thin some out because our lawn was not getting enough sun to grow. Once I started pruning and thinning the plants did not do as well and several of them died off, apparently having acquired some kinds of disease, possibly related to the pruning. I recall that black spot fungus was a problem with them for a while.

You will have to water them regularly if you want them to grow fast. I have had a couple die during this last drought, we still keep the house as a rental.

I believe the City now classifies them as an invasive species because the berries/seeds can be carried by birds.

[Dr Bill]

I live in Central Texas (Austin) and it averages about 30 inches of rain per year, here. The unimproved soil is usually heavy black clay, unevenly and often thinly spread over limestone, so trees and bushes that need a lot of water often struggle. I have had red-tip photinia do quite well here both shaded and sunny, as long as they are not too crowded together. I provided water only during drought conditions. If you want a good hedge early on, you can plant them closely spaced and plan to take out the weaker ones as they grow and start to get crowded, to keep them healthy.