IT HAS been a glorious spring day as I write with hours of clear blue sky and sunshine but a chilly breeze reminds us we are still only two weeks into March and the weather forecaster has given gloomy tidings of a return to colder conditions.

However, lawns are growing apace, although too wet to cut, and plants are coming through the soil at a great rate, spurred on by lengthening days and those precious spells of warmth.

Looking out of the window this morning, I saw a shrub in a neighbour's garden glowing as early sunlight shone through its leaves and warmed the brick wall it grows against. Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin' has glossy dark evergreen leaves with bright fiery-red new growth in spring and, as long there has been a warm enough summer the previous year to ripen growth, broad heads of white flowers in late spring.

Photinia x fraseri is a hybrid of Photinia serratifolia and Photinia glabra, that first occurred as a chance seedling in about 1940 at the Fraser Nurseries in Birmingham, Alabama. This strong-growing shrub can reach five metres or more in height and has dark green leaves with bronze red new growth in spring. The hybrid 'Robusta' has coppery-red new growth and was introduced by the Hazelwood Nursery in Sydney Australia, but the brightest young foliage is that of 'Red Robin', which originated in New Zealand.

Although frost hardy, Photinia x fraseri needs a sunny position. Any fertile, well-drained soil will do but avoid planting in heavy clay. Frost damage can be a problem in exposed sites, so choose a south or west-facing site against a warm wall to give protection. Propagate by taking semi-ripe cuttings in summer rooted in a pot covered with a plastic bag. Once rooted, pot up and over-winter in a cold frame and plant out the following spring.

Pieris 'Forest Flame' is another evergreen plant with bright red spring foliage, its only drawback being that acid soil is essential. It is a slow-growing shrub that will eventually get to four metres in height with racemes of white flowers in mid to late spring.

The young red leaves have a long season of interest as they change to pink to creamy yellow and eventually to dark green. Pieris needs a sheltered site in semi-shade or shade, preferably shaded from morning sun. Deadhead after flowering in May and cut back shoots immediately if they get frost damaged. Propagate by layering in autumn. Mix sand and peat into the soil and peg down shoots of the current year's growth - twist the stems to aid rooting, which should be the following autumn.

Updated: 09:25 Saturday, March 16, 2002