The best Photinia plants, compared.
Top pick: Red Robin, six 9 cm pots Best value: Red Robin, six 9 cm pots – Six stated 9 cm plants at about £23.99, about £4 each, with the only double-digit review file in the set. Updated October 2026.
Photinia on a UK listing is usually a live evergreen, most often Photinia × fraseri, bought as a hedge, a screen, or a patio plant for its red new growth. You tell a suitable plant by stable checks. It should be a plant rather than seed. The pot diameter and the height on the page should agree. You should know whether you want the tall hedge form or the lower compact form. The Royal Horticultural Society rates the tall form H5, about −15°C to −10°C, and 4–8 metres if it is left untrimmed, in sun or partial shade on moist well-drained soil, including chalk. The compact form is slower and lower. Red colour is new growth, and mature leaves are glossy green. How the two forms differ is in [Little Red Robin and Red Robin](/hub/ornamental-plants/photinia/sub/photinia-little-red-robin). A small pot is a start you wait on, not a screen for this season. A tall title is a different purchase, and only when the height field matches. Do not average two figures that disagree. Fruit is ornamental, not for eating.
Photinia on a UK listing is usually a live evergreen, most often Photinia × fraseri, bought as a hedge, a screen, or a patio plant for its red new growth. You tell a suitable plant by stable checks.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What job is the plant for?
The Carbeth six-pack is six Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin' plants in 9 cm pots at £23.99 on amazon.co.uk, about £4 a stated plant. One bullet says the set will cover approximately 2.5 metres of hedging, which is the seller's sentence rather than a measured spacing trial. The star line is 3.9 from 16 reviews, and nine stored UK texts split between plants that arrived healthy and plants buyers called very small. One of those texts says nothing has grown so far, so a 9 cm liner is a start you wait on, not a screen you can stand behind this season. The sunlight field says partial shade, which is narrower than the RHS line of sun or partial shade for this cultivar. The height field prints 9 cm, the same figure as the pot, so do not read it as a finished hedge. In this set it is the best value when you want a counted pack of named small plants and can give them seasons to fill.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want six counted 9 cm 'Red Robin' liners and can wait for them to make a short run.
Less suitable: You need a plant already near hedge height, or a single agreed mature size on the page.
Specifications
Common questions
How many plants are in the pack, and what pot size is stated?
The title and the piece count say six Photinia Red Robin plants in 9 cm pots. The price in the listing file is £23.99.
Does the listing say how much hedge this pack covers?
One bullet says the set will cover approximately 2.5 metres of hedging. That is the seller's sentence, not a measured spacing trial.
What do the stored reviews say about size?
The listing is 3.9 from 16 reviews. Nine UK texts are in the file. Several say the plants arrived healthy. Others say they were very small, and one says nothing has grown so far.
The Carbeth pair is two Photinia 'Red Robin' plants in 9 cm pots at £13.99, about £7 each, with a height field of 20 cm. The sunlight field says full sun or partial shade, closer to the usual RHS line than the six-pack's partial-shade-only field. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.1 from 6 reviews, a thin sample beside the six-pack's 16. One of four stored UK reviews says the plants were four leaves on a stem with black dots, and the buyer names fireblight; that is one customer's wording, not a laboratory result. Another stored review says a bent plant recovered after watering. The bullets allow borders or large patio pots and do not give a finished pot diameter. Take the pair only if you will open the box and look at the leaves the day it arrives. Leave it if a spotted stem would decide the return, because this is already the weaker star line of the two reviewed listings.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want two 9 cm 'Red Robin' plants and will check the leaves on arrival.
Less suitable: A spotted or sparse stem would make you send the parcel back.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this pair go in a pot?
The bullets say the two 9 cm plants are for borders or large patio pots. They do not give a finished pot diameter.
What sun does the listing state?
The sunlight field says full sun or partial shade. The same line is in the bullets.
What is the critical review about the leaves?
One of four stored UK reviews says the plants were four leaves on a stem with black dots, and the buyer names fireblight. Another says a bent plant recovered after watering. The star line is 3.1 from 6.
Chelsea Direct lists one Photinia fraseri 'Little Red Robin' in an 11 cm pot at £14.40, and a bullet says the shrub is supplied at approximately 25 cm. The expected plant height field says 1 metre, so the page prints two heights and does not say which figure is in the box. The bullets describe a compact shrub for patios, containers, and low informal hedging, which fits a mature plant in the usual 1–1.5 m band if the metre is eventual size. It does not fit if you treat 1 metre as the plant that arrives. The blooming field says no flowers, while the RHS profile of this cultivar mentions creamy-white spring flowers when the shrub is not sheared away. There is no customer-review line and no review text in the file. Item weight is listed as 1 kg. It is the only Little Red Robin here that states both an 11 cm pot and a supplied-height bullet. Leave it if you need a star rating, or one height, before you pay.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one compact plant and will treat 25 cm as the supplied size, not the 1 metre field.
Less suitable: You need reviews, or a page where supplied height and the height field are the same number.
Specifications
Common questions
How tall does the listing say this plant is?
A bullet says the shrub is supplied in an 11 cm pot at approximately 25 cm. The expected plant height field says 1 metre. Both figures are printed. The file does not say which is the height in the box.
Is this the tall hedge form?
The title is Photinia fraseri 'Little Red Robin', and the bullets say a compact shrub for patios, containers, and low informal hedging. The blooming field says no flowers.
Are there amazon.co.uk reviews in the file?
No. There is no customer-review line and no review text.
Middlewood Nursery lists one live potted Photinia 'Red Robin' at £44.00, with an item weight of 5 kg and a plastic container. The pot diameter is not on the listing, so you cannot place it on a 9 cm or 2 litre nursery ladder. The expected plant height field says 3 metres and does not label that figure as the height on the day it arrives or as the mature height. RHS 'Red Robin' can reach 4–8 m if it is left untrimmed, so 3 metres might be a growth claim, and it might be a shrub you do not want to lift from a van. There is no customer-review line and no review text. The soil line says well-draining potting soil. The USDA zone field says 5, which is not the RHS H5 rating of about −15°C to −10°C. It is a possible single shrub only if the live page later shows one pot size and one height. At £44 with both of those missing, it is a weak buy beside a 9 cm pack whose pot is printed.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one larger claimed shrub and will confirm pot diameter on the live page before you pay £44.
Less suitable: You need a stated pot size, or a height that says whether 3 metres is in the box.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a pot size stated?
The bullets say a healthy potted plant, and the container material is plastic. The pot diameter is not in the listing file. Item weight is 5 kg.
What height is printed?
The expected plant height field says 3 metres. It is not labelled as the height on the day it arrives or as the mature height.
Does the file include reviews?
No customer-review line and no review text are in the listing file.
The middlewood nurseries listing is £54.00, and the title says a 140 cm 'Red Robin' in a 40 cm pot. The expected plant height field says 1 foot, and a bullet says the shrub will grow up to 3–4 metres, so three heights sit on one page. Number of pieces and number of items are 1, while the unit count field is 10, and the title says plants in 40 cm pots. Item weight is 4 kg. There is no customer-review line. Sun is listed as partial shade. Until those figures agree, you cannot treat this as a 140 cm hedge plant, a plant about 30 cm tall, or a pack of ten. It is the row to open only if the live amazon.co.uk page has been corrected to one height and one count. It is the wrong row if you are choosing from the title alone.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You will wait until the live page shows one height and one plant count.
Less suitable: You are buying because the title says 140 cm.
Specifications
Common questions
How tall is the plant supposed to be?
The title says 140 cm. The expected plant height field says 1 foot. A bullet says the shrub will grow up to 3–4 metres. The listing file does not reconcile the three figures.
How many plants are included?
Number of pieces and number of items are 1. The unit count field is 10. The title says plants in 40 cm pots.
Are there reviews?
No customer-review line and no review text are in the listing file. The price printed there is £54.00.
Portal Cool's title says one Photinia Little Red Robin in a 3.5 inch pot at £13.50 and calls it a smaller variety. Supplied height is not in the file, so you cannot tell a young liner from a plant already near the cultivar's usual ceiling of about 1–1.5 m. Questions on the listing about full sun and indoor growing are printed and left unanswered. The bullets say easy to grow, new, and suitable for all types of soil. There is no customer-review line and no review text. A 3.5 inch pot is about 9 cm, which sits in the same nursery age band as a 9 cm liner, though this is the compact cultivar rather than full 'Red Robin'. Choose it only if a named pot in the title is enough and you will accept an unknown height on arrival. Skip it when you need a stated supplied height, because the Chelsea Direct listing at least prints a 25 cm bullet.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a named 3.5 inch pot of the compact cultivar and can live without a supplied height.
Less suitable: You need to know how tall the plant is on the day it arrives.
Specifications
Common questions
What size pot does the title state?
The title says a 3.5 inch pot of Photinia Little Red Robin and calls it a smaller variety. Supplied height is not in the file.
Does the listing answer full sun or indoor growing?
Those questions appear in the listing file and are not answered. The bullets say easy to grow, new, and suitable for all types of soil.
Are there reviews?
No customer-review line and no review text. The price printed in the listing file is £13.50.
Portal Cool's other title names Little Red Robin plants at £13.50, and the bullets say one piece, easy to grow, and suitable for all types of soil. Pot size and height are both missing, which is why this page scores the listing at 0. Questions about deer resistance, wildlife, and full sun appear on the listing and are not answered. There is no customer-review line and no review text. Part number ECOM-UK-28DC6406 is the only model field. At the same £13.50 as the 3.5 inch title, this row tells you less about what is in the box. It is only useful if you already know that seller's usual pot and you will check the live page before checkout. It is the listing to skip when the purchase depends on pot diameter or on how tall the plant is when it arrives.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know this seller's usual pot and will confirm it on the live page.
Less suitable: You need a pot diameter or a supplied height before you order.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a pot size stated?
No. The title names Little Red Robin plants. The bullets say one piece, easy to grow, and suitable for all types of soil. Height is not stated.
Does the listing say it is deer resistant?
The listing file asks the question and does not answer it. The same is true of the wildlife question and the full-sun question.
Are there reviews?
No customer-review line and no review text. The price printed in the listing file is £13.50. Part number ECOM-UK-28DC6406 is the only model field.
Seven amazon.co.uk photinia listings were scored from the stored listing files, not from a garden trial. Where a star line exists, the score is the star average on a 60-point scale, plus the review count capped at 20, plus 10 when pot size and cultivar are stated without a second height that fights them, plus 5 when the stored UK reviews mostly describe a healthy arrival. A listing with no star line scores 4 when a pot or a live plant is stated, and 0 when pot and height are both missing. The published score is that point total. The weights below scale 60, 20, 10 and 5 so this block sums to 100. The display awards no top pick. Best value is the six-pack of named 9 cm plants.
Star line
63%The largest share is the amazon.co.uk star average, scaled so five stars would be 60 points before the other parts. A 3.9 line scores higher than a 3.1 line. Stars are not a garden trial. A listing with no star line does not receive this share.
Review count
21%Up to 20 points from the review count on that star line, with a cap. A count of 16 adds more than a count of 6. Five listings in this set have no review line, so this share is not added.
Pot and cultivar
11%Ten points when pot size and cultivar are both stated and no second height fights them. A 25 cm bullet beside a 1 metre field, or a 140 cm title beside a 1 foot field, does not receive this share.
Arrival notes
5%Five points when the stored UK reviews mostly describe a healthy arrival. A thin file, or a review that names black dots and fireblight, does not receive this share. It is not a disease test.
Start with a live plant of a named cultivar, then whether pot and height agree, then spacing, then the review line, then price per plant only among similar pots. None of these seven listings was grown on as a trial.
Photinia on amazon.co.uk in this set means a live evergreen, usually Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin' or compact 'Little Red Robin', for a hedge, a screen, or a patio plant with red new growth. Seed packets are outside this comparison. 'Red Robin' is the standard red-tipped evergreen. The RHS maximum is 4–8 metres if it is left to mature, and it is often kept lower by trimming two or three times in the growing season. 'Little Red Robin' is slower and lower.
One title says 140 cm and the height field says 1 foot, with a bullet of 3–4 metres. Another bullet says about 25 cm and the height field says 1 metre. A 9 cm height field can be the pot. Do not average those figures, and do not treat the title alone as the plant in the box.
Nursery figures for 'Red Robin' run from about 30 cm apart for a dense start to about 60–90 cm. The six-pack line of about 2.5 metres of cover is one seller's claim. A metre apart will not make a screen this season.
The usual failures are leaf spot and frost-scorched new growth. Avoid the dry strip against a wall, and avoid a hard prune after late summer. Young red shoots can still scorch in a late frost even though 'Red Robin' is rated H5.
The first line is the cultivar, not the photograph. 'Red Robin' is the hedge that can become tall. The RHS profile puts it at 4–8 metres if it is left to mature, in sun or partial shade, and it is often kept lower by trimming two or three times in the growing season. 'Little Red Robin' is the slower, lower plant for a low hedge or a pot. Seed is a different product and is not in this set. UK trade also sells bare-root and root-ball plants in the dormant season.
Spacing is the next check, and only after you know the pot. Nursery figures for 'Red Robin' run from about 30 cm apart for a dense start to about 60–90 cm. Buckingham puts 'Little Red Robin' at 38 cm for a hedge of about 60–90 cm. The six-pack bullet of about 2.5 metres of cover is one seller's sentence, not a measured density. Planting liners a metre apart will not give privacy this season. The review file comes after that. Only two listings have a star line: 3.9 from 16, and 3.1 from 6.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You will wait for 9 cm plants to fill a short run. The Carbeth six-pack states six 'Red Robin' plants in 9 cm pots, about £23.99, and it is the only double-digit review file, 3.9 from 16. Several texts say the plants arrived healthy, and others say they were very small. The 2.5 metre cover line is a seller bullet.
You want the compact form and a page that states a pot and a supplied height. Chelsea Direct names 'Little Red Robin' in an 11 cm pot at about £14.40, and a bullet says about 25 cm. The height field also says 1 metre. Treat 25 cm as the supplied size, not the metre, and note there is no review line.
You want a larger single shrub this season. The £44 and £54 listings only help if the live page gives one height, not two. Middlewood prints 3 metres and does not say whether that is in the box, and the pot diameter is missing. Confirm both before you pay about £44.
There is no top pick. Only two listings have a star line, 3.9 from 16 and 3.1 from 6, and the other five have no review line. None of this was a garden trial. The best value is Carbeth's six 'Red Robin' plants in 9 cm pots at about £23.99, about £4 a stated plant, the lowest price per plant among listings that state both a count and a pot. Several stored reviews say the plants arrived healthy, and others call them very small. The 2.5 metre hedge line is a seller bullet. The two-pack is about £7 a plant. The £44 and £54 singles do not give one agreed height.
Red Robin, six 9 cm pots
Six stated 9 cm plants at about £23.99, about £4 each, with the only double-digit review file in the set.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was trialled in a garden.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Lee Burkhill (Garden Ninja) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures, not a live crawl. We did not grow these plants.
