Leucothoe walteri Royal Ruby

The Leucothoe walteri 'Royal Ruby' is a small, highly ornamental evergreen bush that is perfectly hardy all year round, whose spreading and compact habit wonderfully suits the decoration of shaded terraces and balconies. It bears shiny leaves whose colour changes throughout the seasons: its young shoots tinged with rust-red at budbreak become green in summer, then take on a delightful purplish hue in autumn. The plant is adorned in spring with slender, short and pendulous clusters covered with cream-white flowers. This acid soil plant, equally decorative in pot or as ground cover, prefers moist soil and dappled light.

The Leucothoe walteri (synonym L. fontanesiana) 'Royal Ruby' is a plant from the Ericaceae family, like heathers and rhododendrons, with which it shares a pronounced taste for acidic soils and half-shade. Its wild ancestor is a modest-sized evergreen bush that grows in the moist undergrowth of the southeastern United States. 'Royal Ruby' has a low and spreading, bushy and compact habit. It will reach 60 cm (23.6 in) in height and  1 m (3 ft 4 in) in spread at maturity. Its shiny, changing foliage is its main asset. It is compound of leaves 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) long, 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) wide, long and tapered, and ended by a point. Each one undergoes a waltz of changing colours from spring to winter. This bush is also called pearl flower for its spring flowering which appears at the ends of the shoots: these appear in clusters of 7 to 15 cm (2.8 to 5.9 in), made up of slightly fragrant, almost white, bell-shaped flowers.

A hardy bush, the Leucothoe 'Royal Ruby' likes acidic, moist, humus-rich and well-drained soils. Its low and dense silhouette, as ground cover, is a perfect 'trunk-hider' that can be advantageously placed at the foot of light trees or bushes, whose base is bare. It forms a very nice duo with the nandinas. It can be combined with medium-sized perennials such as hellebores or ferns, winter heathers (Erica darleyensis), in front of a bush collection of pernettyas, azaleas, snowberries or pieris, or even alone. It also grows very well in pots, with shading and regular watering. Its presence will bring a very personal touch to the terrace or balcony.