Lucky Kolkwitzia amabilis / Beauty Bush Find

20 years ago

Had to share a lucky find....

We bought a house in Dec. with little to no existing gardens... BUT there was this big 'ugly' bush in the back yard hillside. As it turns out it's a Kolkwitzia amabilis / Beauty bush which,while unremarkable during most of the year, can be spectacular in bloom. This one is about 20 years old! The former owners kept it sheared like a trimmed pillar cedar... so it's probably not been identified as a flowering shrub... but it won't be trimmed this year let me tell you!!

Below are urls to pics... (Not of MY bush but others found on the net.)

http://www.timestocome.com/personal/garden/may29-2002-016.jpg

http://www.marysplantfarm.com/_photos/shrubs/kolkwitzia2.jpg

Gotta love a good find!!

Comments (5)

cambse
20 years ago
Congratulation, What a great feeling! Instead of something ugly, you'll have a graceful arching beauty. I have three of these and I think they're pretty in winter also with their strong branching patterns. Wonder why on earth they would prune it like that? Kolkwitzia amabilis's strong point is it's form and flowers. Have fun with your (almost) blank canvas.

Happy gardening,
Carole
karen_mcgaffney
20 years ago
I just got one of these!!!!
sam6
19 years ago
Does this beauty Bush have violet colored berries in the fall? I got a plant from my son in Missouri, that they call a Quail Bush, that I think is the same .
sam6
mistercross
19 years ago
Sam6, it looks like they are different plants. As the title says Beauty Bush is Kolkwitzia amabilis. There is also an American Beauty Bush, Callicarpa americana. But Quail Bush is Atriplex lentiformis. All seem completely different.
Lemyea5
19 years ago
I fell in love with these after seeing them featured on a PBS show. I bought two of them (at least the guy at the garden center SAID they were), and I planted them two years ago. They have grown some, but are still fairly small and have yet to flower. Do they take a few years to bloom? Also, the leaves on mine are tiny...about half an inch long.