Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

16 ft 5 in

In-row spacing

16 ft 5 in

Between rows

20 ft 6 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Shrub · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Sun to light shade; keep it away from east-facing morning sun.

Watering

Water young trees through dry spells; mature ones cope well enough.

Feeding

An annual compost mulch, with ericaceous feed on alkaline soils.

Frost tolerant

Yes

Flowering

February

Pruning

Very little — take out dead or crossing branches once flowering is done.

Through the year

• Mar–Mar Flowering
• Mar–Apr Bud Break
• Apr–Oct Growing
• Oct–Dec Leaf Fall
• Jan–Mar Leaf Fall

Companions

Hostas, Ferns, Hellebores, Cyclamen

Pests & problems

• Scale insects Immobile brown or white bumps fixed to stems and leaf undersides, sucking sap and weakening growth. Wipe off with a damp cloth or dab with horticultural soap; watch for the sooty mold that follows.
• Coral spot Orange-pink pustules on dead or weakened wood that can spread into live branches. Prune out affected wood to a clean cut, leaving no snags or stubs.
• Frost damage Frost damage to the flowers

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Hoverfly Syrphidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

  Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
• Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

  Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow