Stachyurus chinensis Wonderful Image - Chinese Stachyurus

Stachyurus chinensis 'Wonderful Image' is a variety of Chinese Stachyurus, selected for its slightly variegated foliage that takes on beautiful autumn colours. It is a deciduous bush with a flexible habit, also valued for its early flowering in clusters of pale yellow pendulous flowers, which are very decorative. It is cultivated somewhat like a camellia or magnolia, in a humus-bearing, non-limestone soil that remains moist in summer. Plant it in partial shade, sheltered from cold winds to protect its early flowering.

Stachyurus chinensis 'Wonderful Image' is a horticultural selection. The species is a sarmentous, semi-climbing, deciduous bush native to China, belonging to the Stachyuraceae family. This plant thrives in light, moist soils that are rich in humus and neutral to acidic. Although it can withstand -15°C at its lowest, its flowering is sensitive to late frosts and dry, cold winds. The cultivar 'Wonderful Image' differs from the typical species with its delicately variegated foliage that is yellow in spring. Its habit is arching and spreading, supported by long, flexible stems of mahogany colour. The bush reaches approximately 1.5 m in all directions in a few years, sometimes 2 m if conditions are optimal. Its flowering takes place between February and March, on bare branches, before the foliage appears. Its flowers are small cream-yellow bell-shaped blooms grouped in slender pendulous clusters measuring 8 to 12 cm. The leaves are green in summer, barely edged with purple. In autumn, they take on a reddish wine colour, while their edges turn pink. The foliage of this Stachyurus is composed of ovate to oblong, glossy leaves, as thin as paper, with toothed edges.

Stachyurus chinensis 'Wonderful Image' can be used both in mass plantings and as a standalone specimen. Plant it in front of a screen of Fargesia bamboos, boxwood, or conifers to highlight its flower clusters and autumn foliage. You can plant it next to Witch Hazel, Itea, Pieris, Clethra, Anemone tree which appreciate the same growing conditions. This bush is also suitable for light woodland areas and Japanese gardens. At its base, plant some daffodils, wood hyacinths, or snowdrops.