Deutzia

Deutzia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, later slightly arching shrub of 1–2.5 m; compact forms stay around 1 m.

Leaf

Opposite, 3–10 cm, oval to lanceolate, finely toothed; rough as sandpaper because of star-shaped hairs.

Bark

Brown bark that peels in strips; older twigs are hollow.

Flower

Clusters of white or pink, five-petalled, often star-shaped flowers (1–2 cm) in May–June; double in some forms.

Fruit

Small, globular capsules.

Difference from mock orange

Mock orange has larger, four-petalled, strongly scented flowers and solid pith in the twigs.

Difference from weigela

Weigela has bell- or trumpet-shaped pink flowers and smooth leaves.

Flowering: May–June · Pruning: June–July

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Mock orange Philadelphus coronarius: larger, four-petalled, strongly scented flowers and solid pith in the twigs. Difference from mock orange
• Weigela Weigela: bell- or trumpet-shaped pink flowers and smooth leaves. Difference from weigela

Why grow it?

• Masses of white or pink flowers in May–June.
• Easy: grows in almost any soil, in sun or partial shade.
• Compact forms fit into a small garden or a pot.
• Bees visit the single-flowered forms.

Deutzia: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in sun it flowers most freely.
• Any good garden soil that is not too dry, chalky soil included.
• Allow 1–1.5 m width.
• Lovely in a mixed border, as a low informal hedge or at the front of a shrub border; compact forms also in a pot.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

2 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Mock orange: Flowers straight afterwards, with fragrant white flowers: together a white shrub border from May to July.
• Weigela: Pink trumpet flowers in May–June, in the same spot and with the same pruning after flowering.
• Hydrangea: A relative of deutzia; takes over the flowering from June, in partial shade.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Deutzia: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March; pot-grown plants all year round, except in frost or drought.
2. Mix a little compost into the soil and plant at the same depth as before.
3. For a low informal hedge: 2–3 plants per metre.
4. Water generously after planting and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; after that only in long, dry periods, and always in a pot.

Feeding

A little compost in spring is enough.

Renewal

An old, crowded shrub flowers less: thin it out a little every year after flowering.

In a pot

Water compact forms in pots regularly and top-dress with fresh compost every spring.

Tip: Choose a form to suit your garden: Deutzia gracilis ‘Nikko’ stays low and wide, ‘Mont Rose’ flowers pink and Deutzia scabra ‘Pride of Rochester’ is a large shrub with double white flowers.

Deutzia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–July.

When: After flowering (June–July).

How:

• Every year, cut a few of the oldest branches off at the base; young, free-flowering shoots will replace them.
• Cut flowered shoots back to a young side shoot.

Caution: Do not prune in winter: it flowers on last year’s wood, and pruning then removes the flowers.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July, take soft to semi-ripe cuttings of 10 cm and root them under plastic.

Hardwood cuttings

In autumn or winter, push 20 cm lengths of one-year-old shoots into the ground.

Deutzia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy.
• In spring, young shoots and flower buds can be damaged by late night frosts; a sheltered spot helps.

Diseases and pests

• No flowers: Usually pruned in winter, or too much shade. Prune only after flowering.
• Bare, crowded shrub: Lots of old wood and few flowers. Cut a few old branches off at the base every year.
• Frost damage: Brown shoot tips after a cold night in April. The shrub usually recovers by itself; remove the frosted tips after flowering.
• Aphids: Aphids on the young shoots in spring; natural predators usually deal with them.

Through the year

• March: Planting; add compost.
• April: Watch out for late night frosts on the young shoots.
• May: Flowering begins.
• June: Full flower; then prune: remove old branches.
• July: Last pruning after flowering; take softwood cuttings.
• November: Planting; take hardwood cuttings.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Easy, free-flowering shrub for sun and partial shade; there are compact forms for small gardens.

For wildlife

Bees visit the single-flowered forms.

Did you know?

• Named after Johan van der Deutz, an Amsterdam alderman who helped to pay for Carl Peter Thunberg’s plant-hunting voyage to Japan.
• Under a magnifying glass you can see tiny star-shaped hairs on the leaf: they make it rough. The species name of Deutzia scabra means ‘rough’, too.
• The hollow twigs help to tell it apart from mock orange, which has solid white pith.