Leucothoe Firestar
Leucothoe Firestar
Leucothoe walteri Firestar
Thank you for this beautiful young plant.
SHINRA TENSEI, 04/10/2025
Back-to-school special offer!
Get €10 off for every €50 you spend! And get up to €40 off on a single order.
How does it work?
1. Shop your favourites
Add your favourite plants to your basket. For every €50 you spend (excluding delivery charges, store credit and the plastic-free option), you’ll receive a €10 voucher.
€50 spent = €10 voucher
€100 spent = €20 voucher
€150 spent = €30 voucher
€200 spent = €40 voucher
2. Place your order
Once your basket reaches one of the spending thresholds, place your order. You can even choose your delivery date!
3. Receive your voucher
As soon as your order has been shipped, you’ll receive an email containing your personal voucher code and its value.
4. Use it on your next order
Your voucher is valid for 90 days from the date you receive it. It can be used once only, on a new order worth at least the value of the voucher, excluding delivery charges.
Please note: Vouchers can be combined with other offers, but cannot be split or refunded.
Home or relay delivery (depending on size and destination)
Important: You may be charged customs duties by your country’s customs authorities upon delivery.
Schedule delivery date,
and select date in basket
This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Would this plant suit my garden?
Set up your Plantfit profile →
Description
Leucothoe 'Firestar' is a small evergreen bush that is highly ornamental all year round thanks to its foliage colours ever-changing according to the season. Its bright red young shoots give way to variegated green leaves edged with cream, which turn purple in winter. Its spreading and compact habit makes it well-suited for decorating shaded terraces and balconies. In spring, it produces slender, short, pendulous clusters of cream-white flowers. This hardy variety thrives in partial shade and acidic soil, and is equally decorative in pots or as ground cover.
Leucothoe (synonym L. fontanesiana) 'Firestar' belongs to the ericaceous group of plants, like heathers and rhododendrons, with which it shares a preference for acidic soil and partial shade. The wild species is a small evergreen bush that grows in the damp undergrowth of the southeastern states of the United States. This 'Firestar' variety has a low, spreading, bushy and compact habit. At maturity, the bush reaches a height of 60 to 90 cm and a width of 90 to 120 cm. Glossy foliage with changing colours is its main feature. The leaves are 6 to 10 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide, long and tapering, with a pointed tip. Each leaf showcases a dance of changing colours from spring to winter. This bush is also called pearl flower for its spring flowering that appears at the tips of the branches: these are clusters of 7 to 15 cm, made up of slightly fragrant bell-shaped, almost white fowers.
The 'Firestar' Leucothoe thrives in acidic, moist, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. Its low and dense ground-covering silhouette is a perfect "trunk cover" that can be advantageously placed at the base of light trees or shrubs with bare bases. It forms a beautiful combination with nandinas. It can be paired with medium-sized perennials such as hellebores or ferns, winter heathers (Erica darleyensis), in front of shrub borders composed of pernettyas, azaleas, symphorines, or pieris, or even as a standalone plant. It also grows very well in pots, with shade and regular watering. Its presence will add an original touch to the terrace or balcony.
Leucothoe Firestar in pictures
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Leucothoe
walteri
Firestar
Ericaceae
Leucothoe fontanesiana Firestar
Cultivar or hybrid
Planting and care
Place Leucothoe 'Firestar' in shade or partial shade in moist, humus-bearing, acid to neutral soil. Like all plants that require acid soil, it does not tolerate limestone soils, nor dry or heavy soils that are waterlogged in winter. Dig a hole three times the size of the pot. Soak the root ball in water and plant the bush at the level of the collar, in a mixture composed of well decomposed leaf compost, gravel or pumice, and ericaceous soil. Water generously and keep the soil moist in summer, for example by applying mulch around the base of the plant.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
Planting & care advice
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
, onOrder confirmed
Reply from on Promesse de fleurs
Recently viewed products
Haven't found what you were looking for?
Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:- In zones 9 to 10 (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), flowering will occur about 2 to 4 weeks earlier.
- In zones 6 to 7 (Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and lower mountainous regions), flowering will be delayed by 2 to 3 weeks.
- In zone 5 (Central Europe, Scandinavia), blooming will be delayed by 3 to 5 weeks.
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
- In Mediterranean zones (Marseille, Madrid, Milan, etc.), autumn and winter are the best planting periods.
- In continental zones (Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, etc.), delay planting by 2 to 3 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 2 to 4 weeks in autumn.
- In mountainous regions (the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, etc.), it is best to plant in late spring (May-June) or late summer (August-September).
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
Shipping country and language
Your country of residence may be:
Your country of residence is:
For a better user experience on our website, you can select:
Your shipping country:
-
Austria
-
Belgium
-
Bosnia & Herzegovina
-
Bulgaria
-
Croatia
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
Denmark
-
Estonia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Germany
-
Greece
-
Hungary
-
Iceland
-
Ireland
-
Italy
-
Latvia
-
Liechtenstein
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Malta
-
Netherlands
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Romania
-
Serbia
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Spain
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
Language:
-
French
-
English
-
Spanish
-
Italian
-
German
-
Portuguese
-
Dutch
-
Finnish
My Account
Hello
My wish lists
My cart
Log in / Register
Existing customer?
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
New customer?
Create an account to track your orders, access our customer service and, if you wish, make the most of our upcoming offers.