Lespedeza thunbergii | Accepted |
Lespedeza formosa | Synonym |
Lespedeza luchuensis | Synonym |
Plant Habit: | Shrub |
Life cycle: | Perennial |
Sun Requirements: | Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade |
Water Preferences: | Mesic |
Soil pH Preferences: | Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5) Neutral (6.6 – 7.3) Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8) |
Minimum cold hardiness: | Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) |
Maximum recommended zone: | Zone 8b |
Plant Height: | 24-36 inches (60-90 cm) |
Plant Spread: | 36-40 inches |
Leaves: | Deciduous |
Flowers: | Showy Blooms on new wood |
Flower Color: | Purple |
Flower Time: | Fall |
Dynamic Accumulator: | Nitrogen fixer |
Wildlife Attractant: | Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds |
Resistances: | Drought tolerant |
Propagation: Other methods: | Division |
Miscellaneous: | Tolerates poor soil Monoecious |
October usually spells the end of the gardening season here in Iowa. This year we've been blessed with an extended season as there has been no frost yet. Come on in and see what's still blooming at Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens! Check out the photo contest at the end of the article and take a moment to scroll down farther to the forum to show us some of the flowers blooming in your garden right now.
(Full article • 27 comments)
(7)
Posted by Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Oct 4, 2011 11:14 AM A large, rather untidy, sprawling plant with arching branches covered in beautiful rose-pinkish blooms come summer, which really did remind me of pea blossoms, having the same shape. Bush clover actually is in the legume family, same as garden peas. Give it lots of room. In summer it looked more like a shrub to me than a perennial, although it did die down to the roots each winter and start up fresh each spring in the typical perennial habit. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by sandnsea2 (Cape Cod, MA, USA - Zone 7a) on Dec 4, 2011 2:03 PM Lespedeza is a wonderful fall-blooming shrub. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by DEEDEEDEE on Nov 5, 2016 4:56 AM Have several of these. The best plant ever! We have a lot of wildlife around us, and this plant is never disturbed. One benefits from our irrigation system; others do not. All are in rocky hard clay soil with some garden soil thrown in to help them along. They don't need fertilizer or any special care. Mine are all in full sun. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Oct 8, 2019 7:33 PM This species is from China and Japan. A nice little naturalistic landscape company planted two shrubs in a church landscape where I do work in a new memorial garden. They are slow to grow in the spring. Later in summer they grow fast and hang down and sprawl outward, where they can interfere with nearby plants I've cut them down close to the ground each late fall or early spring. To me they are interesting, but I'm not passionate about them. [ Reply to this comment | |
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(Lespedeza thunbergii) by woofie | Sep 23, 2014 8:54 AM | 7 |
Nursery Clean Up! Lots of Perennial and Shrubs to chose from. by finerliners | Jul 20, 2011 8:27 AM | 1 |