Dwarf Podocarpus

Dwarf Podocarpus, or Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Pringles', is a slow growing evergreen conifer shrub, a compact selection of a species native to southern China and Japan. Narrow, leathery, dark green leaves spiral along stiff stems for a fine, formal texture that holds all year. Gardeners use it for low hedges, foundation beds, and containers. Give it full sun to part shade and well drained soil, since it will not tolerate soggy ground. Once established it tolerates drought, heat, and salt spray, which helps in coastal and Florida landscapes, and it is hardy in USDA zones 8b through 11. This cultivar settles at roughly 3 to 5 feet tall and a similar spread instead of the 30 to 40 feet the species reaches unpruned, so it keeps a tidy shape with far less shearing. Female plants carry small fleshy fruit, and the seeds are poisonous if eaten.