Beautybush
Kolkwitzia amabilis
Honeysuckle Family (Capifoliaceae)
▲ flowering shrub in spring (at west end of Springfield Art Museum parking lot)
▲ flowers
▲ foliage (opposite leaves)
▲▼ flower detail
▲ shrub in Nathanael Greene Park garden
Location near campus: in north end of Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Nathanael Green Park, just north of Botanical Center Building; at west end of lawn area west of Springfield Art Museum on Bennett St., about 3/4 mile south of campus
Kolkwitzia amabilis: Beautybush
· leaves simple, deciduous, opposite, ovate tapering to pointed tip, slightly toothed on margins; dull green above and hairy on veins on leaf undersides; leaves 1-3" long and about 2/3 as wide
· stems slender, round, pubescent at first, purplish, become glabrous and exfoliating with age
· size 6-10' in height and width; upright, vase-shaped form
· prefers full sun, well-drained soil, pH adaptable
· prune out old wood after flowering or cut back to ground periodically to control size
· fast growth rate