Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Irene Patterson'

Selected in the wild on New Zealand's South Island, we brought this cultivar back from England in the mid 1990s. Strikingly white speckled variegation on leaves emerging nearly all cream and aging to spring-green and held on typical black stems make this 4 - 5', dense shrub a standout in the garden. Small blackish flowers, with the typical, dianthus-like, spicy fragrance, can actually be seen in spring with the naked eye against the light colored leaves. A wonderful container plant or garden subject with regular water, dappled sun or full sun out of the most glaring conditions, and leanish soil. Has taken low temperatures to near 0 °F in England. A champion during a ferocious, 3 day, December freeze in 2009, so definitely frost hardy in upper USDA zone 7.