Tall tutsan

Tall tutsan: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, upright shrub about 1 m tall and wide; semi-evergreen.

Leaves

Oval, 5–10 cm, opposite, fresh green; in mild winters some of the leaves stay on.

Flowers

Yellow, star-shaped flowers of 2–3 cm with a ring of long stamens, in small clusters at the shoot tips, from June to September.

Fruit

Glossy, egg-shaped berries about 1 cm long, changing from green or cream to red and then black.

Roots

Fibrous and fairly shallow; over the years the shrub forms a dense clump.

Flowering: June–September · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A long flowering season from June to September, with flowers and berries on the shrub at the same time.
• Decorative berries for bouquets: a real cut flower from your own garden.
• Bees and bumblebees come for the plentiful pollen.
• Compact and easy: suitable for a border, a low hedge or a large pot.
• Tolerates chalk and a spot in part shade.

Tall tutsan: where does it grow best?

• Sun or part shade; in sun it flowers most freely and carries the most berries.
• Any good garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Normally moist; during long droughts it is more prone to rust.
• An airy spot with some space around it keeps the leaves dry and so helps keep rust away.
• Allow 80–100 cm per plant; for a low hedge, plant 50–60 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

1 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Ornamental grasses: Airy plumes beside the compact shrub and its colourful berries.
• Hardy geranium: Blue or purple flowers beside the yellow.
• Catmint: Blue flowers all summer in the same sunny spot.
• Woodland sage: Violet-blue spikes that contrast beautifully with the yellow flowers.

Tall tutsan: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in some compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 80–100 cm between plants, or 50–60 cm for a low hedge.
5. Water generously straight away and regularly in dry spells during the first year.
6. Mulch around the base with compost or wood chips.

Care

Watering

In dry spells water at the base, not over the leaves: wet foliage encourages rust.

Feeding

In March, after pruning, a layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser.

Mulching

A layer of compost in spring keeps the soil moist.

Cutting berries

Cut berry-laden stems for a bouquet as soon as they are well coloured; this does the plant no harm.

Spent flowers

Leave them: they turn into the berries.

Tip: Cut all stems back to 20 cm in March and always water at the base: the shrub stays compact, flowers freely and rust has less chance.

Tall tutsan: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before new growth starts. It flowers on new wood, so pruning costs no flowers.

How:

• Cut all stems back to about 20 cm above the ground.
• Remove dead, weak and frost-damaged stems completely.
• Cut out rust-affected stems generously and keep the prunings off the compost heap.
• For a slightly larger shrub, remove only a third of the length.

Caution: After pruning it looks bare for a few weeks, but it soon regrows and flowers the same summer.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June, take 8–10 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots and root them in moist cutting compost under plastic. They root quickly.

Semi-ripe cuttings

In August–September, take 10–15 cm cuttings and root them in a mix of sand and compost in a cold frame.

Seedlings

Self-sown seedlings can be moved in spring, but they do not always resemble the parent plant.

Tall tutsan: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no problem in most Belgian winters.
• In severe winters the stems may be killed back; after the March pruning it regrows from the base.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall and wrap the pot in hessian.

Diseases and pests

• Rust: Orange to brown powdery pustules on the undersides of the leaves; the leaves turn yellow and drop. Choose resistant cultivars, cut out affected stems, water at the base and clear up fallen leaves.
• Untidy, woody shrub: Without spring pruning it becomes untidy and flowers less. Cut back to 20 cm in March.
• Frost-damaged stems: Brown, dead stems after a hard winter. Cut them out in March; it will regrow.
• Few berries: Usually due to too much shade. A sunnier spot gives more flowers and berries.

Through the year

• March: Cut back to 20 cm above the ground. Give compost. Plant.
• April: Plant. Watch for rust on the young leaves.
• May: New growth. Water in dry spells.
• June: Flowering begins. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Flowering; the first berries colour up. Water at the base.
• August: Flowers and berries together. Cut stems for a bouquet.
• September: Last flowers. Cut berries. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• October: Plant. Clear up fallen leaves with rust.
• November: Plant.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Inodorum means ‘without scent’: unlike its parent Hypericum hircinum, its crushed leaves do not smell of goat.
• The flowers make no nectar: bees and bumblebees come for the plentiful pollen.
• The berries change colour as they ripen, so one shrub often carries green, red and black fruits at the same time.