Dipelta floribunda

Dipelta floribunda is a relatively unknown shrub closely related to honeysuckles. It forms an elegant and healthy bush, bearing a generous flowering of white pink with a yellow orange heart which is slightly fragrant, in spring. It is easy to grow and simply requires sufficiently deep and well-drained soil. Its bark is brown-fawn in plates and also very ornamental after a few years.

The Dipelta floribunda is a large deciduous bush from the Caprifoliaceae family. It is therefore a relative of honeysuckles, which include well-known climbers as well as bushes with a similar appearance. The Dipelta is native to China, where it can be found in forest edges, especially in mixed woodlands including conifers. Although it was discovered in 1875 and introduced into cultivation in the early 19th century, it remains curiously unknown among nurserymen despite its many qualities. While it can reach 6m (20ft) in its natural habitat, it will stay around 3 to 4m (10-13ft) in our climates. It easily branches out but remains leafy especially at the ends of slightly trailing branches, giving it a slender and elegant habit fairly quickly, even though it grows slower than a honeysuckle. The tender green leaves are ovate to lanceolate, with a pointed tip, and measure 6 to 10cm (2.4 to 3.9in) long by 3 to 6cm (1.2 to 2.4in) wide. This Dipelta lives up to its name of "floribunda" (which means floriferous in Latin), as in late spring, between May and June on the previous year's wood numerous compact clusters of tubular flowers with 5 pink-white lips and an orange heart appear. Each nectar-rich and slightly fragrant flower measures up to 4cm (1.6in) and is nestled in the middle of 4 unequal bracts. The two largest ones continue to develop after flowering, enclosing the fruit in a beautiful crinkled paper-like case when dry. The beautiful cinnamon-coloured bark flakes off: after a few years, it becomes an additional attraction for this still uncommon but charming species.

The cultivation of Dipelta floribunda is fairly simple: provide it with a semi-shaded location, in a good garden soil that is neither too acidic nor too chalky, and sufficiently deep. In poor soil, add compost on the surface at planting, and mulch abundantly afterwards. Avoid cold winds that would damage the young leaves. Under these conditions, it will generously reward you. A light pruning to remove misplaced, dead or excess branches will allow you to obtain a very elegant bush. Avoid severe pruning, which would result in the formation of numerous unsightly branches and detract from the plant's charm. Producing multi-stemmed subjects (several stems at the base) will enhance the effect produced by the bark. Dipelta seems to be unaffected by any diseases at present.

This beautiful bush can also be placed in an informal and wild hedge, alongside the Deutzia 'Mont Rose', the Philadelphus 'Belle Étoile', the Weigela 'Alexandra', or even the Photinia 'Carré Rouge'.