Hypericum Hidcote Limelight

The 'Hidcote Limelight' Shrubby St. John's Wort is a variegated foliage version of the excellent hybrid 'Hidcote'. This low bush is smaller than its parent, but even brighter with the same endless golden yellow flowering, from July to October. Its beautiful foliage is often evergreen. A low-maintenance, ornamental, floriferous plant that will surely find a place in the garden or in a container on a terrace.

The 'Hidcote Limelight' Hypericum is a recent horticultural creation. The cultivar 'Hidcote' is the result of a spontaneous hybridisation between Hypericum calycinum, native to Turkey, a floriferous and almost indestructible pretty pest, and, probably, H. cyathiflorum, a shrubby St. John's Wort hybrid with somewhat obscure origins. This bush is widely planted in gardens and appeared in the 1950s, in the garden of Hidcote Manor, located in southwest England. It belongs to the Hypericaceae family (formerly Clusiaceae). The 'Hidcote Limelight' variety is a moderately fast-growing bush, which generally reaches 80-90 cm high and 1.10 to 1.30 m wide, depending on the growing conditions. It has a dense and rounded, spreading habit, carried by red to brown stems which bear long, entire, semi-evergreen leaves, evergreen in mild climates. These elongated, pointed, leathery leaves are a beautiful slightly bluish green, edged with differing amounts of light yellow to cream white. This plant blooms for practically four months of the year, from June-July to September-October, with a break during the hottest weeks. The abundant flowers are 6-7 cm in diameter and composed of 5 rounded, golden yellow petals in an open cup. The centre of the flower is occupied by a crown of long, protruding, orange stamens. This nectar-rich flowering is followed by a few conical fruits that turn red and then blue when ripe. The lifespan of this bush is about 15 to 20 years.

St. John's Wort is appreciated for its very long flowering period and its ease of cultivation in all types of soil and all climates, even by the seaside. If you like yellow flowers and variegated foliage, the 'Hidcote Limelight' Hypericum is one of the first shrubs to plant in a brand new garden, even if you are a beginner in gardening. It excels in low shrub beds and small flowering hedges. It can be planted next to shrubs with dark foliage, or sober and elegant bushes such as boxwood and its alternatives. Since its yellow flowering occurs in summer, it will not compete with pastel-coloured spring-flowering shrubs. It is perfectly hardy and should be planted in full sun in the north, but partial shade in hot climates, to protect its foliage from the harsh sun.