Beautybush

Beautybush

Kolkwitzia amabilis

Honeysuckle Family (Capifoliaceae)

▲ flowering shrub in spring (at west end of Springfield Art Museum parking lot)

▲ flowers

▲ foliage (opposite leaves)

▲ ▼ flower detail

▲ shrub in Nathanael Greene Park garden

Location near campus: in north end of Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Nathanael Greene Park, just north of Botanical Center Building; at west end of lawn area west of Springfield Art Museum on Bennett St., about 3/4 mile south of campus

Kolkwitzia amabilis: Beautybush

• leaves simple, deciduous, opposite, ovate tapering to pointed tip, slightly toothed on margins; dull green above and hairy on veins on leaf undersides; leaves 1-3" long and about 2/3 as wide
• stems slender, round, pubescent at first, purplish, become glabrous and exfoliating with age
• size 6-10' in height and width; upright, vase-shaped form
• prefers full sun, well-drained soil, pH adaptable
• prune out old wood after flowering or cut back to ground periodically to control size
• fast growth rate