Japanese Cleyera
Ternstroemia gymnanthera – Syn. Cleyera japonica
Other Common Names: Sakaki
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a–10b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Height at Maturity: 8-12′ + depending on pruning
Width at Maturity: 6-8′ + depending on pruning
Spacing: 5-6′ for solid hedges; 12′ or more for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Bushy, Dense, Broad, Upright
Growth Rate: Fast
Flower Color: Pale Yellow
Flower Size: Small
Flowering Period: Spring
Flower Type: Single
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Dark Green, Burgundy, Orange and Red new leaves!
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun, Morning Sun With Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun
Water Needs: Average, Very Low when established
Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Dry when established
Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0
Maintenance / Care: Average to Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Insect
Description
Cleyera Japonica is a fast-growing, large shrub or small tree that features attractive, very shiny evergreen leaves that provide a tropical look in the landscape. The colorful new growth produced throughout the season emerges in shades of burgundy, orange and red. In our gardens, we’ve found that Cleyera will thrive in quite a bit of shade, making it an excellent choice for a natural hedge or screen in landscape beds that receive anywhere from full sun to only 2 hours of sun per day or all day filtered sun. Cleyera is an excellent substitute for the disease-prone Red Tip Photinia.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing 6 to 12 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide depending on pruning, Japanese Cleyera is ideal for use as an accent, to frame corners, or to fill large spaces between windows or against open walls in home foundation plantings It also serves well as a very attractive evergreen hedge or background in sunny to partially shaded landscape borders that might receive only 2 hours of direct sunlight or all-day filtered sun. Remove lower branches and you have a very attractive small tree useful as a specimen. A fine addition to tropical look gardens and Xeriscape gardens (low water needs).
Suggested Spacing: 5 to 6 feet apart for solid hedges; 12 feet or more apart for space between plants
Growing Preferences
Japanese Cleyera are easy to grow in a range of soils and full sun to part shade. They prefer a moist but well-drained soil however are exceptionally tolerant of dry soil conditions when established. They do not require pruning, however can be pruned to a formal shape or to form a small tree.
Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tab above on desktops and below on mobile phones.
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I was very glad to find a nursery that had cleyera japonica; Wilson Bros. had such a selection of stock! Service was great, and I never received a plant through UPS that was so thoughtfully prepared for shipping. It arrived in excellent condition and has adapted rapidly to transplanting. I cannot hardly wait to see how it does this summer. It is an attractive addition to my lawn where I am using it as a border.
It was better than I expected!





















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