Doghobble

Doghobble: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad, loose shrub about 1 m tall and 1.5 m wide, with arching, overhanging stems. Slowly spreads by underground runners.

Leaves

Leathery, lance-shaped and pointed, 7–15 cm long, glossy dark green. Young shoots are often reddish.

Winter colour

Bronze, purple to wine red in autumn and winter, strongest in a spot with some light.

Flowers

Small, white, bell-shaped flowers in hanging clusters of 5–8 cm under the stems, in May.

Roots

Shallow and fibrous, as in rhododendrons: sensitive to drying out and to lime.

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

Why grow it?

• Evergreen: a full, glossy shrub all year round, even in shade.
• The leaves turn bronze to wine red in autumn and winter, adding colour when the garden is bare.
• Hanging clusters of white flowers in May beneath the arching stems.
• One of the few evergreens for moist, acid soil in shade, for example under trees or on the north side of the house.
• Lovely at the edge of a path, on a bank or beside a pond, where the stems can arch over.
• Stems with coloured leaves last a long time in a vase and are popular in flower arranging.

Doghobble: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade to shade. In full sun the leaves scorch and soon develop leaf spots.
• Acid, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or peat. On chalky soil the leaves turn yellow.
• Moist to wet: in the wild it grows along streams. Never let the soil dry out.
• Sheltered from cold, dry east winds, which brown the evergreen leaves in winter.
• Allow 1–1.5 m per plant; in a group, plant 80–100 cm apart.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

1 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Likes the same moist, acid soil and partial shade.
• Pieris: Another evergreen shrub of the heather family, with red new growth in spring.
• Ferns: Fine, airy fronds next to the glossy, leathery leaves.
• Hosta: Large leaves for contrast in shade.
• Skimmia: Evergreen, with red buds or berries in winter.

Doghobble: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October, when the soil is moist and not frozen.
2. Dig a wide, shallow planting hole and mix the soil with leaf mould, bark compost or ericaceous compost.
3. Set the root ball at the same depth as in the pot or slightly higher, never deeper: the roots are shallow.
4. In a group, space plants 80–100 cm apart and firm the soil well around them.
5. Water in thoroughly straight away, preferably with rainwater, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a 5 cm mulch of leaf mould, pine needles or fine bark around the base.

Care

Water

Keep the soil moist at all times, especially in the first year and in dry summers. Use rainwater if possible: tap water is often limy.

Feeding

In April, an organic feed for acid-loving plants or a layer of leaf mould. Nothing more is needed.

Mulching

Every spring, a layer of leaf mould, pine needles or bark: it keeps the soil cool, moist and acid.

Soil

Do not hoe or dig around the base: the shallow roots are easily damaged. Weed by hand.

Pots

It does well in a large container of ericaceous compost. Water regularly with rainwater and repot every 2–3 years.

Tip: Give it a spot in partial shade where the leaves catch some light: that is where they colour best in winter without scorching. Water with rainwater whenever you can.

Doghobble: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: Pruning is hardly needed. If you do prune, do it in June, straight after flowering.

How:

• Cut out dead, frosted or damaged stems back to healthy wood.
• Every few years, remove a few of the oldest, bare stems right at the base: new, richly coloured shoots will come from the base.
• A neglected shrub can be renewed by cutting all stems back to 20–30 cm; it then regrows from the base.
• Cutting stems for a vase or a Christmas arrangement is a light prune in itself.

Caution: Wear gloves when pruning: all parts of the plant are poisonous. Do not throw prunings into a field with livestock.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August: cuttings of 10–15 cm, lower leaves removed, in a moist mix of ericaceous compost and sand under plastic. They root within a few months.

Division

In March–April, separate a rooted piece with runners from the edge of the clump and replant it at once.

Layering

In spring, peg a low stem into the soil and cover it; after a year, sever it and transplant.

Doghobble: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: in Belgium it needs no protection.
• The evergreen leaves can turn brown from cold, dry wind and sun on frozen foliage. A sheltered spot prevents this.
• In a dry autumn, water before the frosts set in, so the plant goes into winter with well-filled leaves.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall, wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap and water occasionally in mild spells.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf spot: Brown to purple spots on the leaves, mainly in full sun, in drought or in still air. Remove affected leaves, water the soil rather than the foliage and choose a shadier spot.
• Yellow leaves (chlorosis): Yellow leaves with green veins: the soil is too limy. Water with rainwater, mulch with pine needles and give a feed for acid-loving plants.
• Brown leaves after winter: Drying out from cold wind and sun while the ground is frozen. Trim off the brown leaves in spring; the plant usually regrows normally.
• Root rot: The plant wilts and dies back although the soil is wet. It happens where water stands for long periods. Provide humus-rich but free-draining soil and do not plant in a hollow.

Through the year

• January: Dormant. The leaves are bronze to wine red.
• March: Plant. Cut out brown or frosted stems.
• April: Plant. Feed for acid-loving plants and mulch.
• May: Flowering: white, hanging clusters beneath the stems.
• June: After flowering, remove a few old stems at the base.
• July: Water in dry spells, preferably with rainwater. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• August: Water in dry spells. Take cuttings.
• September: Plant. The leaves begin to colour.
• October: Plant. Water if the autumn is dry.
• December: Cut coloured stems for Christmas arrangements.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of leucothoe are poisonous, especially the leaves, flowers and nectar: it contains the same toxins as rhododendron (grayanotoxins), which cause drooling, vomiting, weakness and a slow heartbeat. Goats, sheep and alpacas above all, but also horses, cattle, rabbits and guinea pigs are at risk. Do not plant it where animals can reach the branches, never throw clippings into a field, pen or hutch and do not give them to animals, not even branches from a flower arrangement; if an animal has eaten some, call your vet at once. Keep small children, dogs and cats away from the plant too, and wear gloves when pruning. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The name doghobble refers to the dense, tangled thickets in American mountain woods, in which hunting dogs got stuck while bears could slip through.
• The species name honours the French botanist René Desfontaines (1750–1833).
• Leucothoe belongs to the heather family, like rhododendron, pieris, heather and blueberry.