Kolkwitzia/Beautybush
This shrub, the variety called 'Pink Cloud', had an unpromising start in my garden. I'd ordered it from Carroll Gardens about 50 miles away and you know what shrubs look like after shipping? Sad and a bit discouraging, though this looked better than many I've seen. But wow, did it take off from that scrawny conditionn and this photo was taken only 3 years later. Birds love it as a spot for their nests.
Details
- Hardy to Zone 4, utterly drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. It has an old-fashioned, lush look.
- This May-June bloomer grows to 8-10 feet tall and wide and likes full sun to part-sun.
Care
- Mine has been given no supplemental watering and no fertilizer - ever.
- To keep it away from a nearby conifer I've removed the limbs growing toward it altogether. I also removed the lowest branches to keep them off neighboring perennials.
More Great Info in Print
- Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs
by the best-known authority on the subject. - Taylor's Guide to Shrubs
is another good one.
Location Matters
I grow Kolkwitzia in the Washington, D.C. area, Zone 7A. If you've grown it somewhere else and have comments to add here, send 'em along.
Stories from the Garden
- Here's my own follow-up, Right Plant, Wrong Place. Yep, it had to be moved.