Plant Finder

Other Names:  Japanese Yew, Buddhist Pine

Brand:  Southern Living

Description:

This exceptional, low maintenance upright shrub produces stunning white and green variegated foliage; excellent as a privacy screen or sheared hedge because of its dense, long lived foliage; a great landscape accent or container specimen

Ornamental Features

Roman Candle™ Podocarpus has attractive dark green foliage edged in white which emerges creamy white in spring on a dwarf conifer with an upright spreading habit of growth. The glossy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features subtle clusters of creamy white catkins at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It produces powder blue berries in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes

Roman Candle™ Podocarpus is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Roman Candle™ Podocarpus is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Roman Candle™ Podocarpus will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Roman Candle™ Podocarpus makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.