Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is an evergreen shrub that is considered a quintessential choice for many California native plant gardeners as a hedge or a specimen that can be left as a shrub or shaped into a tree form.
In the summer, the Toyon produces delicate bunches of small, fragrant white flowers. In the winter, it develops vibrant clusters of scarlet berries, giving the Toyon its other common name, Christmas Berry.
The Toyon is an important food source for native birds and other wildlife. The flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators in springtime. Later in the year, many birds will visit seeking out its berries, including American Robins, Mockingbirds, and Cedar Waxwings.
Toyon are beautiful plants and considered easy to grow. If properly situated and cared for, they can grow very quickly, up to 10 feet in three years.
They like sun or part shade; they tend to do better in part shade in the southern, drier part of their geographic range where they are often found under Oaks and other shade trees.
Toyons can handle a wide variety of soils, including clay, sand, and serpentine.
Heteromeles arbutifolia - Toyon
Optimal Growth Conditions
- Mature Height: 6 - 30 feet (depending on form and pruning)
- Mature Width: 6 - 15 feet (typically staying within 6 - 8 feet)
- Sun: Full Sun, Filtered Sun, Partial Shade
- Water: Low
- Soil Drainage: Fast, Medium, Slow
Geographic Appropriateness
- USDA Zone: Zones 7 - 10
- Sunset Zone: Zones 5 - 9, 14 - 24
- Native Sites: Toyon is a common plant in Chaparral where it is found along creeksides, bottoms of slopes, north-facing slopes, and canyons.
Additional Landscaping Information
- Characteristics: Flowering, Berries, California Native, Evergreen
- Special Uses: Hedge, Bird Gardens, Bank Stabilization and Erosion Control