Cleyera

Part Sun to Shade

• Evergreen
• Screening
• Foundation Planting
• Accent

Cleyera is a glossy evergreen shrub whose new growth opens bronze-red before deepening to dark green. That two-tone flush, repeated through the growing season, is the main reason it is planted so widely along the Gulf Coast. Plants are upright and layered, usually 8–10 ft tall and 5–6 ft wide, though they are easily held lower with light pruning. Small creamy flowers appear in spring, more fragrant than showy, sometimes followed by small dark berries. It is one of the better choices for a shaded foundation bed, a screen under high pine canopy, or an evergreen backdrop where azaleas and camellias already grow. Give it acidic, well-drained soil, shelter from harsh afternoon sun, and regular water while it establishes.