Caryopteris Hedging

Caryopteris are a useful family of smaller woody shrubs that come into their own from august onwards each year with a dazzling show of nectar rich flowers, borne in fluffy clusters along and at the end of the upright stems. The lance shaped foliage of all varieties is aromatic and you will always know when they are in flower as the shrub will be literally buzzing with bees (and butterflies!).

Few of our garden shrubs are easier to grow than Caryopteris, whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned pro in the garden these shrubs do not dissapoint. Once established they are both drough tolerant and very low maintenance needing little more than a hard prune each spring to let the new growth come through unfettered, with the flowers to follow.

All Caryopteris make super little informal hedges (in case you were wondering why they are in our hedging section!), simply set them at 3 plants per metre and within a few seasons you will have a great little late flowering hedge bringing structure and welcome colour into your garden for many years to come.

How to grow Caryopteris

Position: Best in full sun.

Foliage: Deciduous, loses leaves in autumn and fresh new leaves appear in spring.

Soil and site: Any soil that does not waterlog in winter

Flowering time: from august well into autumn

Growth rate: slow/moderate

Ultimate height and spread: from 70cm x 70cm to 100cm x 100cm

Hardiness: Fully hardy.

Aftercare: Water regularly after planting and through the first season until established. Prune hard in spring to remove the old flowering stems. For best results apply a mulch at the same time.