Cleyera

{"key":"cleyera","id":"PLT-TERN-GYMNANTHERA","slug":"cleyera-ternstroemia","name":"Cleyera","botanical":"Ternstroemia gymnanthera","eyebrow":"GLOSSY FOLIAGE + BRONZE NEW GROWTH","benefit":"Build a green backdrop with a warm new-growth accent.","intro":"Cleyera brings glossy evergreen leaves and flashes of bronze new growth to a layered garden. Its upright form can soften a boundary or anchor a generous border, while lower plants supply the changing flowers and textures in front.","h":[8,10],"w":[5,6],"install":[3,2],"color":"#617249","habit":"upright","light":"Sun to part shade; partial shade preferred","lightTags":["sun","part"],"water":"Moist, acidic, well-drained soil; avoid wet roots","season":"Evergreen · bronze to reddish new leaves","care":"Selective shaping; watch leaf spots and scale","caution":"Confirm Ternstroemia gymnanthera on the tag. It is often sold as cleyera, but is different from Cleyera japonica.","site":"Consider a partly shaded Pensacola border where the soil drains after rain. The natural height belongs behind lower planting or along a boundary with sufficient depth. Yellow foliage can indicate unsuitable soil conditions rather than a need for more pruning.","sizeNote":"The 8–10 ft height and 5–6 ft spread describe the species in NC State’s guide. Named selections such as Bronze Beauty and Bigfoot have their own growth habits; this profile does not substitute one cultivar’s dimensions for another.","uses":["Evergreen screen","Border background","Bronze foliage accent","Large foundation bed","Layered courtyard garden"],"checks":[["Read the botanical name before ordering.","The common name cleyera is used for more than one plant. Match the label to this page’s botanical name and confirm whether a named cultivar changes the required space."],["Let the upright form do the work.","A broad bed can hold the natural outline and a lower foreground layer. Set the plant back from paths and windows; repeated clipping should be a maintenance choice, not the only way it fits."],["Give roots drainage and suitable soil.","Avoid places where downspouts discharge or water remains after storms. Check soil conditions before adding amendments; alkaline soil can lead to yellow leaves."],["Use bronze growth as an accent.","New leaves mature to green. Repeat the plant where this change will look intentional, and choose other plants for lasting purple or gold color if that is the goal."]],"faq":[["Is cleyera the same as red-tip photinia?","No. This is Ternstroemia gymnanthera. Similar reddish new growth does not make the plants interchangeable in identity, size or care."],["Will it stay red?","No. The new growth can be bronze or reddish before turning green. Expect an evergreen green backdrop with changing accents."],["Does coastal suitability mean it can sit in saltwater?","No. Evidence of salt-spray tolerance does not establish tolerance of salty soil or storm-surge flooding. Check the property’s actual exposure separately."]],"sources":[["NC State Extension · identity, dimensions and care","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ternstroemia-gymnanthera/"],["UF/IFAS Assessment · reviewed Florida status","https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/ternstroemia-gymnanthera/"]],"wholeCaption":"Illustrative species form · upright, dense evergreen growth","detailCaption":"Illustrative detail · glossy leaves and bronze new growth","native":false,"guideKind":"Species guide","aliases":["false Japanese cleyera","Japanese ternstroemia","Ternstroemia"],"goals":["privacy","color"],"images":{"context":{"id":"6a9fefa5c7d8ea3556dc9c21","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa5c7d8ea3556dc9c21_landova-cleyera-context-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Cleyera","width":1600,"height":900},"whole":{"id":"6a9fefa6a13f2e13b48016dd","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa6a13f2e13b48016dd_landova-cleyera-whole-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative whole-plant form of Cleyera","width":1448,"height":1086,"fit":"contain"},"detail":{"id":"6a9fefa723cbec9ff9f61aa8","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefa723cbec9ff9f61aa8_landova-cleyera-detail-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative foliage and seasonal detail of Cleyera","width":1254,"height":1254}},"reviewDate":"2026-09-08","companions":[{"slug":"shi-shi-gashira-camellia","name":"Shi Shi Gashira Camellia","title":"Add a lower flowering layer.","reason":"Shi Shi Gashira can share a partly shaded, acidic bed with good drainage. Keep its mature width separate from the cleyera’s canopy.","image":{"id":"6a9f34851fbbc23ce57e8e85","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9f34851fbbc23ce57e8e85_landova-shrub-shishi-context-r02.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Shi Shi Gashira Camellia"}},{"slug":"vintage-jade-distylium","name":"Vintage Jade Distylium","title":"Repeat evergreen structure at a lower level.","reason":"Vintage Jade offers a broader, lower outline in compatible sun-to-part-shade conditions. Leave room between mature crowns rather than stacking them in a narrow strip.","image":{"id":"6a9f291814791b3f2092920c","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9f291814791b3f2092920c_landova-shrub-vintage-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Vintage Jade Distylium"}}]}