Great Design Plant: Hop Bush
THEME TEXT It can do one thing better than any other plant: grow quickly into a bush shrub or small tree in a spot that is both dry and shady. (let us know if can think of any other). It’s good looking enough (with narrow, xxxx color leaves) but you don’t plant it for the blooms – which in fact can be considered a negatibe. The flowers are so tiny you can’t see them, and they’re followed by dry seed heads that hang on the trees too long.
PROFILE TEXT There’s nothing flashy about hop bush – no showy flowers or fall color. What you get is a fast-growing small evergreen tree with no particular pests or other problems. And it’s one of the few plants that grow well in dry shady conditions. Versatile enough to serve as a standalone background shrub, a tall screen, a small –round-topped tree.
PROFILE TEXT There’s nothing flashy about hop bush – no showy flowers or fall color. What you get is a fast-growing small evergreen tree with no particular pests or other problems. And it’s one of the few plants that grow well in dry shady conditions. Versatile enough to serve as a standalone background shrub, a tall screen, a small –round-topped tree.
Botanical name: Dodonaea viscosa Common name: Hop bush USDA zones: 9-11 Water requirement: Light Sun requirement: Full sun to part shade Mature size: 12-15’ h x 10-12’ spread Tolerances: Tolerant of wide range of soil and light conditions. No particular problems Distinguishing traits: Varieties such as ‘Purpurea” have pronounced purplish foliage, especially in winter and when grown in sun. Narrow leaves give a delicate, wispy look. How to use it: For a patio tree, choose a plant trained with single trunk and rounded top. (On its own, hop bush grows into a bushy, multistemmed shrub.) To create a privacy screen, space plants 6 feet apart, and let lower branches develop; cut side branches back a few inches in spring to maintain bushiness. Before you plant it: Train it into a single-trunk small tree by pruning off side branches from the main trunk, and nip off top to keep rounded shape. You may notice dry brownish seed capsules following tiny flowers; shear them off if you don’t like the look.
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