Habitat

• native to China
• hardy to zone 5, although it performs better in zone 6 and warmer
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, Click Here.

Habit and Form

• a large deciduous shrub 5' to 10' tall
• produces large arching canes
• typically dies to the ground in zones 5 and 6
• a rather unkempt growth habit
• can grow 5' to 8' from the ground in a single season

Summer Foliage

• opposite leaves
• simple, lanceolate 4" to 10" long and 1" to 3" wide
• margins very finely toothed
• leaves a gray green to green above and white and fuzzy on the underside
• stems pubescent and prominently angled
• petioles are short

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color
• some leaves persist late into the fall

Flowers

• showy
• 4" to 10" long upright or nodding racemes
• the common color is lilac with orange in the throat
• available in pink, red, purple, and white as well
• attractive to butterflies and moths
• bloom time is from mid- to late summer until frost
• blooms on current season wood

Fruit

• small capsules
• not of ornamental importance

Bark

• new stems are greenish
• older stems develop gray-brown bark that exfoliates slightly in vertical shreds

Culture

• remove winter-killed stems at a minimum
• probably best to prune to the ground in spring in zones 5 and 6
• remove past flowers to encourage continued bloom
• full sun
• performs best in fertile soils
• easily transplanted

Landscape Use

• useful for summer bloom
• to attract butterflies
• use in masses, not as specimen
• perhaps it is better to treat this species more like an herbaceous perennial than a woody shrub
• often used effectively when incorporated in a perennial planting

Liabilities

• lack of winter hardiness in zones 5 and 6
• somewhat unkempt appearance can be detractive
• relatively high maintenance plant
• tends to self sow

ID Features

• naked buds, opposite arrangement
• pubescent new growth
• striking racemous flowers
• short petioles

Propagation

• seed germinates readily
• cultivars by cuttings; excessive moisture following rooting can kill the cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

Numerous cultivars exist and more are released every year, thus a full listing is impossible. The choices below are included merely to show the range of forms available.

var. nanhoensis - A more dwarf, compact form (4'-8' tall). Hybrids with this parent include 'Nanho Alba', 'Nanho Blue' and 'Nanho Purple'. These are dwarf forms bearing flowers of the colors listed.'Black Knight' - Dark purple flowers, vigorous and slightly more cold hardy than the species.

'Dartmoor' - Notable for the branched inflorescences with magenta/purple blooms. A large grower with an impressive floral display.

'Empire Blue' - Flowers violet-blue with an orange eye. Upright growth habit.

'Fascination' - Lilac-pink flowers on large panicles 13" to 18" long. Vigorous grower.

'Harlequin' - White and green variegated foliage with reddish purple flowers. Less vigorous than green forms.

'Honeycomb' - A hybrid that is perhaps the most popular of the yellow-flowered forms.

'Lochinch' - A hybrid which, in its true form, is more dwarf and compact (to 6'-8' tall) with smaller leaves that are covered in a silvery pubescence. The flowers are lavender with an orange eye and occur in smaller clusters (5"-6" long).

'Royal Red' - Considered the best red-flowered form. Panicles up to 20" long.

'White Profusion' - White flowers, but only 6" to 8" long panicles.