Home | Bonsai For Beginners | Growing Roses | Growing Grapes | Hydroponic Gardening | Organic Gardening
Fruit Trees | Frog Collectibles | Aromatherapy | Contact

In The Garden | Landscaping & Gardening






Edgeworthia Chrysantha




A deciduous shrub also known as the Oriental paperbush
Edgeworthia Chrysantha is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, the family that includes the daphnes. But it would be hard to imagine a plant less like a daphne at first glance. Yet, if you are familiar with the deciduous Daphne genkwa, there is some hint of resemblance there.

The genus comprises three very similar species from China and Japan. It is named after Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812-81), part-time botanist, plant collector and employee of the East India Company.

The plant grown in gardens and sold in garden centers is commonly labelled E. papyrifera, which is actually a different species. There is some confusion over this, even between botanists. Apparently E. papyrifera has white flowers, not the yellow of E. chrysantha, though some botanists regard them as variations of one species.

Edgeworthia chrysantha is a heavily-wooded deciduous shrub. It grows to around 1.2-1.8 m high by 1.5 m wide. It has 12.5-17.5 cm long, pointed oval leaves. These leaves are soft green with prominent midribs and felted when young.

It has lovely follage, especially when young, but this plant is grown for its flowers. They are bright yellow aging to creamy white, tubular and about 1 cm long. An individual flower is nothing much, but en masse, the flowers are densely packed in 8 cm diameter globose heads, which are beautiful. The are very fragrant as well and open until late winter from buds that have been obvious from late autumn.

Edgeworthia Chrysantha

The flowers are followed by dry, purplish-green berries known technically as drupes. A drupe is a fruit with one of more hard seeds or stones encased in a soft, fleshy outer covering. More common examples are cherries, olives and apricots.

Edgeworthia Chrysantha is often underrated for the shrub is not always instantly appealing. Why? At first, its sparse growth and very heavy branches seem grotesque. But as with many things, familiarity causes one to overlook this drawback as one begins to appreciate the delicate coloring and fragrance of the flowers, and the beauty of the new foliage.

A moist, well-drained, humus-enriched soil with partial shade is best - similar to the conditions you would give your rhododendrons and camellias, or for that matter your daphnes. It is hardy to around -15°C and thrives in a cool temperate climate. Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings, aerial layers or seed.

Try Edgeworthia, it's not difficult to grow and although bare for much of the year. it has its moment of genuine glory when flowering, and its branch structure has that 'weird' appeal that makes it one for the collector.

About the author:  Geoff Bryant writes garden books and is a horticultural photographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. His stock photo library is called Country, Farm and Garden at (www.cfgphoto.com).









News about Deciduous Shrubs


Times Online

Turn your garden into a secluded haven
Times Online, UK - Aug 9, 2008
Evergreen shrubs such as California lilac (ceanothus), famous for its masses of vivid blue flowers in early summer, can grow as much as 3ft a year in the ...


Plant fall crocus now for autumn blooms
Chicago Sun-Times, United States - Sep 7, 2008
... the lilac-pink flowers add bursts of fresh color to evergreen groundcovers and brighten the dappled sunlight below deciduous trees and shrubs. ...


Inquirer Gardening Columnist
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Sep 5, 2008
Hold off on transplanting deciduous shrubs and trees until all their leaves drop. Make plans for the autumn planting season, which may not have the quicker ...


Irish Independent

Top 10 must-have plants
Irish Independent, Ireland - Aug 15, 2008
An attractive deciduous shrub that produces pale-green leaves. Pale pink flower sprays appear in late spring until the end of summer. A deciduous suckering ...


Seattle Post Intelligencer

The Grounded Gardener: With fall in the air, put tree planting on ...
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Sep 3, 2008
Deciduous trees cast shade in summer, and in winter when leafless, they let the sun shine through their bare branches. Right, it's not easy now to think of ...


Helping nature help you
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Aug 16, 2008
Plant a flowering tree or shrub near the unit, taking care not to block air circulation. Deciduous vines on trellises also will give shade to south- and ...


GARDENING Q&A
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Sep 4, 2008
Would you please recommend deciduous shrubs to plant to screen our heat pumps? They receive full afternoon sun. Answer: Heat pumps generally run around 3 ...


Vancouver Sun

Guide to late bloomers
Vancouver Sun,  Canada - Sep 4, 2008
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus): An excellent deciduous shrub that produces masses of hollyhock-like flowers. Popular cultivars are 'Blue Bird,' 'Collie ...


How-to's for Hydrangeas
KREN CW 27 TV, NV - Aug 15, 2008
These are deciduous shrubs that are native to seacoasts and mountain valleys in Japan and divided into two types by the shape of their flowers. ...


The shades of fall ON GARDENING MARY PAT APPEL
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA - Sep 5, 2008
Larch larix laricina and bald cypress taxodium distichum are deciduous conifers. These fast-growing trees lose their needles for winter but before doing so ...

Deciduous Shrubs - Google News


home | site map | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2008 www.in-the-garden.org | Contact | General Partners