Harlequin glorybower

Harlequin glorybower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad shrub or small tree with a rounded crown, 3–4 m tall and as wide.

Leaves

Large, oval, 10–20 cm, softly hairy; they smell unpleasant when bruised. Late to emerge in spring.

Flowers

White, star-shaped, about 3 cm across, with long stamens, in loose clusters; sweetly scented, in August–September.

Fruit

Glossy turquoise-blue berries of about 1 cm in a star-shaped crimson calyx, in September–October.

Roots

Wide-spreading; sometimes produces suckers some distance from the shrub.

Flowering: August–September · Plants: April–May · Pruning: April–May

Why grow it?

• Late flowering in August–September, when most shrubs have finished.
• Strongly and sweetly scented flowers that attract butterflies and bees.
• A unique autumn display of turquoise berries in red, star-shaped calyces.
• Grows fairly quickly and looks good as a specimen or a small tree with a broad crown.
• Recovers well after a hard winter: frozen shoots regrow from the base.

Harlequin glorybower: where does it grow best?

• Full sun or partial shade; in sun it flowers better and sets more berries.
• Any well-drained, fertile soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Normally moist, in a spot sheltered from cold easterly winds, which can kill young shoots.
• Allow 3–4 m and expect suckers to appear in the lawn or border around the shrub.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -18 °C)

Goes well with

• Michaelmas daisy: Flowers at the same time and attracts the same butterflies.
• Ice plant: Flat pink heads at the base, busy with butterflies in September.
• Japanese anemone: Pink or white flowers in late summer, also in partial shade.
• Miscanthus: An ornamental grass with autumn plumes, as a backdrop for the blue berries.

Harlequin glorybower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant in April–May, so the plant is well rooted before winter.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in a little compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Keep at least 2 m from other shrubs and buildings.
5. Water in thoroughly straight away and regularly in dry weather during the first year.
6. Spread a layer of mulch around the base; it protects the roots during the first winter.

Care

Watering

Regularly in dry weather in the first year; after that only in long dry spells.

Feeding

In April, a layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould or wood chips in autumn protects the roots of young plants.

Suckers

Pull them up as soon as you see them, or cut them off with a spade.

Patience

It only leafs out in May. Wait until then to judge which shoots have been killed by frost.

Tip: Simply pull up suckers as soon as you see them, and the shrub will stay neatly in its place. Only cut out frosted shoots once you can see which ones are breaking, in late April or May.

Harlequin glorybower: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: Prune in late April or May, when you can see which shoots are breaking. It flowers on new shoots, so spring pruning costs no flowers.

How:

• Cut frosted and dead shoots back to healthy wood or a bud that is breaking.
• For a small tree, choose one or a few stems and remove the low side branches and the suckers.
• Remove suckers all year round, at the base and in the lawn.

Caution: Do not prune too early: in March and early April you cannot yet see which shoots are alive.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Suckers

In spring, sever a sucker with a piece of root and pot it up or replant it elsewhere straight away.

Root cuttings

In winter lay 5–8 cm pieces of root flat in a pot of cutting compost, under a thin layer of soil. They sprout in spring.

Cuttings

In July take semi-ripe cuttings of 10–15 cm and insert them in moist cutting compost under plastic.

Harlequin glorybower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −18 °C: protect young plants.

• Hardy to about −18 °C. In a severe Belgian winter young shoots, or even all the top growth, can be killed, but it usually regrows from the base.
• Give young plants a thick layer of mulch around the base in autumn.
• A sheltered spot against a wall or among other shrubs limits frost damage.

Diseases and pests

• Suckers: Shoots popping up some distance from the shrub. Pull them up or cut them off; in the lawn, simply mow them.
• Frosted shoots: Bare, dead twigs in May. Cut them back to healthy wood; the shrub soon grows back.
• Few berries: After a cool summer or in too much shade. A warm, sunny spot helps.
• Aphids: On young shoots. Hose them off; natural predators usually deal with them.

Through the year

• January: Take root cuttings.
• April: Plant. Add compost. In late April, cut back frosted shoots.
• May: Late leafing. Remove dead wood. Clear suckers.
• June: Water in dry spells. Clear suckers.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings. Flower buds appear.
• August: Flowering: sweetly scented and full of butterflies.
• September: Last flowers; the berries turn turquoise.
• October: Blue berries in red calyces. Mulch around young plants.
• November: Leaf fall. The red calyces still decorate for a while.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The name Clerodendrum comes from the Greek kleros (chance, fate) and dendron (tree): tree of fate. The Dutch name kansenboom, chance tree, comes from the same idea.
• In Japan it is called kusagi, stinking tree, after the smell of its bruised leaves.
• In Japan the blue berries were once used to dye fabrics light blue.