Denis Lucey is a customer of mine. I got my first one from you about 6 or 7 years ago. In spring, after the blooms pass, it sports lovely bluish foliage with silvery undertones that are both eye-catching and soothing. All the edgeworthias I have ever seen do that. Glad you enjoyed it. Liane, I think Edgeworthia papyrifera is not hardy in our area. North Carolina citizens each year through local centers in the state's 100 counties I am in SE Michigan also, so it would be interesting to compare notes. Although here in piedmont NC we had a cold winter this year, we have had colder, so I dont think the low temperatures are the reason for our problem, I think I probably just didnt prune severely enough. I brought one with me from VA in a gallon pot, two and a half years ago. We are now in zone 7a. The Irish botanistMichael Pakenham Edgeworth and his half sister Maria Edgeworth were both honoredwith the naming of this plant. What an amazing looking plant. Thank you for the information about Dirk, his site is wonderful. both would be Zone 7. I keep trying to find time to read blogs and have barely kept up with my emails. The Edgeworthia was also starting to lean forward and with any hurricane it could have tumbled overI am in zone 7B. It is getting so big that I may have to cut it back! Now I wish I had ordered a paper bush! It arrived fairly recently in the US. I thought they would be. What beautiful photos. How many years was the plant growing in your container? It doesnt seem to care about sun or shade, although full sun leads to droopy leaves in summer. Also I had read standing water in winter was not good for the roots, which is a problem for me in some winters, esp with underground water raising to the surface, so I made a drainage with stone at the bottom of the hole and planted the edgeworthia on top of the stones. Blooms in winter when leafless. At the JC Raulston Arboretum, you can view Gold Rush in the Winter Garden and John Bryant near the Cascade. Thank you for all the information on Edgeworthia. There is a bit of yellow fall color (nothing to write home about) in autumn. I could not imagine a garden of mine without this A+ plant. Beautiful. Has anyone seen this behavior on their Edgeworthia? The mature bushes you have pictured, however, are gorgeous! I didnt think it would be hardy farther north than zone 7. All the best Planting in a protected location is often recommended, and all the plants I have seen are in protected spots, but I dont know if this is necessary. There are two species of Edgeworthia - sort of. Edgeworthia chrysantha Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Grandiflora' I think protection from winter winds is the most important consideration. If you read the comments, there are plants growing in SC in full sun. It gives me something to look forward to. Planted it under a big oak, east facing, will get 4 or so hours of morning sun in summer. Stress. Cultivar: Akebono Common Name: Paperbush Plant type: Deciduous Shrub Height: 5' - 6' Bloom Time: February - March Flower Color: Red/Orange Exposure: Part Shade or Shade Soil Requirements: Moisture-retentive, Fertile Loamy Soil Water Needs: Medium Attributes: Winter Interest, Tubular Fragrant Flowers borne on bare stems, Silky Silver Buds Note: Related to Daphnes, Inner bark used in . I also prune an entire branch if needed because the shape of mine is open, symmetrical, and I want it to stay that wayI dont want a bush. My compost just happens to be composed of thoroughly decomposed leaves. When the leaves drop, they reveal the slender and pliable reddish-brown bark seen above. Nancy, You must have liked the post. This edgeworthia is pictured at the very end of January and is in the Isabelle Cosby Courtyard at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania. You can help woodland plants fight disease by adding plenty of soil conditioner to your clay soil before planting. Im in Zone 7A and limited to a container garden. In China, its bark is used to produce very high quality paper and for various medicinal purposes. The Red Dragon went belly up pretty quickly but the species has thrived in a very windy, exposed southern location in Darlington, MD. Try These Other Edgeworthia Varieties. It is in moderate shade in the summer, under trees. Remove diseased, damaged, congested or crossing shoots. Keep in touch and let us know where you decide to plant your lovely Edgeworthia and how she fares. Full sun or light dappled shade lover, this plant is easily grown in humus-rich, loamy, well-drained soils. Carolyn. This was the day I fell in love with Edgeworthia chrysantha . My Edgeworthia plant is healthy, but I notice the bottom leaves are turning yellow, do I need to fertilize or is this natural to the species? Robyn, My edgeworthia in a more exposed site did not bloom last year either. N.C. I saw my first Edgworthia on a garden tour (Patterns?) And fortunately they are fast growers which have gone down greatly in cost. Ill have something to watch carefully through the winter. I dont think they are at all hard to propagate. Carolyn, I am about 50 miles south of ATlanta and have grown two edgeworthia for about five years. However, mine sailed through our harsh winter with -10 F (10 degrees below our supposed zone low) and bloomed. The silky hairs glow in the light, and the plant looks like it is covered with hundreds of silver flowerssimply breathtaking. Portland Nursery on Stark Martha, What time of year did you prune it and how much did you take off? Rich narrow green leaves gray-green below, with short stalks have the best color in some shade. When I walk up my driveway I start to smell the scent from about 20 meters away, heavenly! It isnt pretty for about a month after pruning. Edgeworthia is one of the stars of the winter garden - or should we say it's one of the suns? Carolyn. One of the all-time favorite plants in our own gardens, Edgeworthia, also called Paper Bush, is a truly a multi-season color and fragrance factory. My 2 Edgeworthia survived a brutal 5B winter of extended -20s. My photos of the whole plant do not do justice to how gorgeous it is, but as I reviewed the on-line literature, I realized that everyone has this problem. Edgeworthia buds in November as they start to expand. Height and spread: 150cm (59"). Hank, Akebono is not supposed to be hardy where we are. The small, yellow, strongly fragrant, pendant flowers hang in clusters from the bare branch tips from February to April. Superb in shape and form, Paperbush is a wonderful plant to combine with shade-tolerant evergreens and wildflowers. Edgeworthia is now making its way into retail garden centers but may still be a bit hard to find. There is only one other species in the genus that I know of, E. papyrifera, and it may be just a subset of E. chrysantha. Be sure to snip a few blooms to keep the house fragrant through the winter. The individual florets are tiny, but a few dozen make up a 1-1/2 to 2-inch cluster that will simply knock you sideways. No one has ever mentioned that, and I have nothing to do with them. Edgeworthia, is a shrub native to China and the Himalayas that provides superb fall and winter interest and a gardenia-like fragrance. Hi Judith, Most people celebrate daffodils as the harbingers By Wuttisit Somtui, Earth Point, Shutterstock. Send Explanation. If there are any left I would like to try one in southeast Michigan zone 6 (now changed from zone 5) and will grow it in a protected place, maybe in a area that Japanese maples would like. If you contact Dirk in Germany, let him know you have heard about it from Nik from Bulgaria. [Note:Carolyns Shade Gardens is retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Just because you are zone 5B doesnt mean you dont have little pockets of zone 6. Liane, thanks for commenting on pruning. The papyrifera is much less cold harder and vigorous. One thing is clear though: you wont regret adding edgeworthia to your garden. Propagate by root greenwood and semi-ripe nodal stem-tip cuttings in summer in free-draining compost. Mine is about 6 feet tall and the same around, it is in a moveable planter (which I do not movebut I would if we are hit with a hurricane or some other natural disaster), the planter is 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet long, it is has yellow flowers, and it is gorgeous, but I have a concern. As for me, my edgeworthia is thriving in zone 7 with temperature and weather conditions very similar to yours. Only plants will be removed from the collection. I hope something works for you soon. Carolyn. Soil: Provide deep moist soil with high organic matter. We have very hot summers here, 90 to 100 degrees F, and it didnt rain for a lot of July, August, and September. Not sure you can find this daphne in America, as it is very rare even in Europe. At least, I say I would. As always, Carolyn, you provide such fascinating information on plants! It is such a beautiful plant. H Caroline. Z7-9, Fragrant pale yellow flowers in February, slender green leaves, airy branching. What a surprise to see this in PA, even in southeastern PA. Please use your imagination to envision how gorgeous this shrub must be covered with hundreds of the silky silver buds shown in the preceding photo. Maintenance on this plant is minimal, prune to remove diseases or damaged branches. tucked in a corner, and fell in love with the bark and buds. Edgeworthia papyrifera is more slender from flowers to branches. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Juniper Level Botanic Gardens: Part Sun-Part Shade Gardens, Border Landscape Pinewild County Club, Moore County, Mountain Ridge Top Garden - East Lawn and Lower Drive Border. The branch would have become damaged from rubbing on the house and I did not want that. Published by at February 16, 2022. This large, sculptural shrub commanded attention in the center of a network of pathways. Andrew points out that there are actually two species of edgeworthia, E. chrysantha and E. papyrifera. The previous commenter was intent on trying it in Michigan so I just told him what I would do if I wanted to grow a plant thats outside my zone. Jill, Jill, I have been thinking of you and wondering how your stay in India is goingso glad you checked in. Edgeworthia will naturally grow as a multi-stemmed shrub, but looks best when pruned into a single-trunked mini-tree. Edgeworthia chrysantha flower. How about fertilizers? Carolyn, I have just found your site . For immediate help or to order plants call 919-772-4794, 8-5 M-F (ET). Anne, Thanks so much. I am so glad that readers treat these comments like a forum and answer each others questions. I pruned it before the first budding, probably in January/February and I pruned it hard taking some limbs down to the trunk. JOURNAL: Gardening Blogs for Plant Lovers My Education of a Gardener. Long, narrow, leathery, blue-green leaves up to 10 inches long give the shrub a tropical look. I love the stark branch structure with the large silver buds in the winter. In my previous posts I described our huge and spectacular E. chrysantha which we had for fifteen years in Barnstable, Massachusetts. 1 Names and Identifiers. The leaves turn buttery yellow in autumn after the first frost. PubChem. You can look at my Facebook page here or click the Like button on my right sidebar here. It has partial sun/high shade. I would guess two to three ft. as I tried to keep a nice shape to it. I dont see it now on either of mine, but they are pretty small. Interesting post. 2. Molly, If your edgeworthia forms buds, but they dont open, then you must be experiencing extreme cold during the time the buds are on the plants, late fall to late winter. I originally favored the look of a vase like central stem, which proved stupid on a slope, so I advise taking terrain into consideration. I dont have a recommended mail order source. It also was very slow to leaf out, so I bought another yellow flowering Winter Gold plant which duplicates the one at the previous home. But the condition stopped progressing during our recent drier weather, so I am hoping the worst is passed. I really love so many things that bloom in the shade. It has protection from winter winds, which come from the north west here, so that the buds, which form in November, dont dessicate. Both composted hardwood and ground pine bark suppress root rot. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog. I would look for the warmest microclimate you have in your garden. Flower Seeds Packets for Planting 35 Individual Varieties Perennial, Annual, Wildflower Seeds for Planting Outdoors for Bees and Butterflies - Semillas de Flores Hermosas by Gardeners Basics . It flowers on old wood so you would want to prune it right after it blooms. Indie, The plants I sold and the ones I planted were in three gallon pots so they didnt look as awkward as they might have if smaller. It has come back well, however, with very little die back.