This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

[SHADEGARDENS] SHADEGARDENS] Kerria japonica

I do not have the single kerria, but our Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora'
behaves more like a perennial than a shrub; the initial planting over the
years will produce more and more shoots or branches. These do not thicken
with age as ordinary shrubs do; the whole thing simply gets larger.
Eventually it gets so wide and ungainly that it needs to be divided. I
imagine the single kerria will behave the same way. Just cut up the clump
and divide into as many pieces as you think advisable. "Shrub dandelion"
is a dandy name, by the way!

One point I would mention is that Kerria is not THAT shadeloving. It
really prefers part sun. In our area, plants in a little more sun will
bloom better, grow faster and be divisible sooner. Farther north, you
would probably be safe to plant in full sun.

By the way, I have seen the single Kerria japonica and think the flower
color is much prettier than the orangey color of the double 'Pleniflora'.

Another kerria with single yellow flowers is the little variegated one, K.
j. 'Picta'. This never gets over four feet tall for me, DOES grow well in
fairly deep shade, and has a completely different habit of growth than the
other Kerrias. Personally, I believe this is a different species, not a
cultivar. Anyway, it has a treelike shape with a little trunk, and one
couldn't divide it the same way as you would the big green leaved kerrias.
But 'Picta' is a showstopper. People always want to know what it is and
where I got it. The answer is I got it from the old Montrose Gardens,
Nancy Goodwin's place, when it was still a nursery. I don't know who
carries it now, but I definitely recommend it. If anybody knows a source I
hope they will chime in.

I saved the last (1993) catalogs from Montrose; this is what Goodwin wrote
about 'Picta': "Arching stems bearing gray-green leaves with silver margins
give this shrub an elegant character. It has single golden yellow flowers
and grows best with a little shade." She also offered K. j. 'Albescens',
which had "white" flowers--in fact, these opened a "clear soft yellow and
fade to palest cream." And she offered K. j. 'Kin Kan', with two-toned
stems of chartreuse and green, and the regular single yellow flowers.
Zones 4-9 on all of these.

Maybe I'll get ambitious this spring and try some cuttings of 'Picta'.

Bobbi Diehl
Bloomington, IN
zone 5/6

On Fri, 27 Feb 1998, John Dash wrote:

> Friends, Can anyone tell me how to propagage Kerria japonica? When we
> moved here, we found it on the property; and after four years, found out
> what it is. (We were calling it shrub dandelion. How about that  for a
> "duh"?) We sure would like to have more of it without buying. It is a
> delight.
> John Dash, zone 5A in the foothills of the Bristol Hills.
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index