A Shrub for All Seasons: Edgeworthia
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.
I love edgeworthia in all its manifestations, but late winter when the buds start to swell has to be my favorite.
Edgeworthia chrysantha also known as paper bush is a collector’s plant. That means it is rarely seen in public and private gardens and is hard to find at nurseries. However, I have been able to offer it to my customers in fall 2011 and fall 2012 because my wholesale shrub supplier carries beautiful specimens of it. I have grown it in my own garden for three years so I decided it was time for a full blown profile of what has become one of my favorite shrubs.
[Note:Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas.]
My photos of the whole plant do not do justice to how gorgeous it is, but as I reviewed the on-line literature, I realized that everyone has this problem. This edgeworthia is pictured in mid-April on the terrace of the main house at Chanticleer gardens in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Edgeworthia is native to China and was named for Michael Edgeworth (1812 to 1881), a plant collector for the East India Company. It arrived fairly recently in the US. My 1990 edition of Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants contains no mention of it, and it was not covered in my 1994 Longwood course, Deciduous Flowering Shrubs II. Although articles state that its common name is paper bush, I have never heard anyone who actually grows it call it anything but edgeworthia. In China, its bark is used to produce very high quality paper and for various medicinal purposes. Here it is an unusual and elegant four season ornamental notable for its leaves, buds, flowers, and habit.
Edgeworthia’s leaves are large and tropical, and its bark is an unusual reddish-brown. This photo was taken in September and the highly ornamental buds have formed but have not yet expanded.
Edgeworthia is in the same family as daphne and has even occasionally been called yellow daphne. It is deciduous and has large and distinctive leaves. They are 5 to 6″ long and about 2″ wide, blue-green on the top and silvery green on the bottom. Although they can turn yellow in fall, you wouldn’t grow edgeworthia for fall color. The leaves cluster at the tips of the branches giving the shrub a decidedly lush and tropical appearance that really stands out in the garden. When the leaves drop, they reveal the slender and pliable reddish-brown bark seen above.
Edgeworthia buds in November as they start to expand.
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Edgeworthia buds as they appear through the heart of the winter.
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Please use your imagination to envision how gorgeous this shrub must be covered with hundreds of the silky silver buds shown in the preceding photo. This edgeworthia is pictured at the very end of January and is in the Isabelle Cosby Courtyard at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania.
My favorite season for edgeworthia is winter when the leaves drop to reveal the buds which form in late summer or early fall depending on where you live. Each 1″ plus bud resembles an intricately designed tassel on the corner of an elegant Victorian pillow. The silky hairs glow in the light, and the plant looks like it is covered with hundreds of silver flowers–simply breathtaking. The falling leaves also reveal edgeworthia’s striking architectural habit. It is a multi-stemmed shrub that forms an almost perfectly rounded umbrella shape of cinnamon colored branches.
Edgeworthia’s buds start to open at the beginning of March in our area and as early as January in the south.
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Edgeworthia’s flowers starting to open.
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Fully open flowers in my garden in mid-March 2012. I wish blog posts could include a fragrance button!
Blooming begins in our area in early March and can continue through April. Each bud expands to reveal 25 to 35 tubular flowers with a silky silver exterior and a bright yellow interior. That would be ornamental enough but the fragrance is amazing. I can’t describe it—you will just have to find a specimen and experience it for your self.
Edgeworthia blooming at the Scott Arboretum (photo taken by Rhoda Maurer and used with the permission of the Scott Arboretum).
I am going to give cultural information for edgeworthia with the caveat that I don’t think the plant has been grown long enough for it to be definitive. Most sources say that edgeworthia grows in light to partial shade and requires moist, fertile, well-drained organic soil with supplemental water in summer. I grow mine in an east-facing location with very high shade, but edgeworthias at the Scott Arboretum and Chanticleer are in the sun while Charles Cresson has a relatively old plant in full shade. My edgeworthias have organic soil but are in a dry location. This causes the leaves to go limp when it’s hot but doesn’t seem to harm the plants, time will tell.
Zone information is also variable, and the only thing I can guarantee is that specimens have been growing successfully in the Delaware Valley area of Pennsylvania for some time. If you garden north of here, I suggest you try the plant anyway because we really don’t know how much cold it can take. Planting in a protected location is often recommended, and all the plants I have seen are in protected spots, but I don’t know if this is necessary. Mine are more exposed than other local plants so we will see.
Finally, height and width estimates range all over the place with a consensus probably being 6′ by 6′. However, the Chanticleer specimen in the sun is much lower and tighter while Charles Cresson’s shady specimen is taller and looser. One thing is clear though: you won’t regret adding edgeworthia to your garden.
If you are growing edgeworthia, please leave a comment describing your experience with it, especially if you are from an area north of the Delaware Valley.
Carolyn
If you would like more information on edgeworthias, please read my more recent post, Edgworthia Update, and the very helpful reader comments, by clicking here.
Nursery Happenings: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.
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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
December 10, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Will we be able to buy edgeworthia soon?
December 10, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Nancy, You must have liked the post. I just called my supplier, and they will have 10 for me in April if all goes according to plan. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Carolyn, please hold 1 of the 10 for me!!!!!
April 6, 2018 at 2:34 pm
My edgeworthia is about 5 yrs full sun, but few buds ever open. About 3 x 3 perfect shape covered with buds . I have never smelled it , though near our front door & have never seen it flower. I thought maybe too much sun. Any ideas?
April 8, 2018 at 9:29 am
Molly, If your edgeworthia forms buds, but they don’t open, then you must be experiencing extreme cold during the time the buds are on the plants, late fall to late winter. During those cold periods, the shrub can’t take up moisture and the buds dry out and eventually shatter without blooming. Where are you located? Edgeworthias can take full sun, but full sun areas are usually less protected from winter cold and wind. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 2:58 pm
As always, Carolyn, you provide such fascinating information on plants! Whatever plant you’re writing about– I want to have it!
December 10, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Linda, As I said to Nancy, you will be able to buy it in April. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 3:02 pm
I am considerably north of you in central CT (supposedly now zone 6). I will try this when I can get one in a very protected spot. They are so beautiful.
December 10, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Leslie, I hope that you will report back on the results of your trial. We are now in zone 7a. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Oh my word!!! What an amazing looking plant. I have never seen anything like it! It’s like little glowing bulbs. How gorgeous is that!! Thank you for sharing.
December 10, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Barbara, I remember the first time I saw the buds. It was amazing, and it was a shrub I had never heard of. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 3:53 pm
I, too, am ready to get one next growing season. Beautiful. Enjoyed the snowflakes on the page!
December 10, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Sandra, Well I have now put myself out on a limb by ordering some of the strength of all this interest, but it really is a wonderful plant. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 4:43 pm
What an interesting plant! I have seen a couple of close up shots before, but don’t recall seeing bush shots. However, I love seeing the entire bush more than just the small buds. What a beauty this must be to see in person.
December 11, 2012 at 2:02 am
Holley, I wish you could see it in person. I am glad you appreciated the photos of the whole shrub. I almost didn’t do the post because I thought they weren’t good enough. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Carolyn – So enjoy your blog – and this is a plant that I would love in my Brooklyn garden. Please let me know when you have them for sale. Hope you are having a good winter!
All the best –
Susan
December 11, 2012 at 2:04 am
Susan, I will have them for sale in April, but you would have to come here and get it—they are in three gallon pots. Happy Holidays, Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Carolyn what a magical shrub..those silky tassel flowers have always made me want to touch them…I have never seen it in flower but it is exotic looking…this is indeed a very special shrub to grow.
December 11, 2012 at 2:04 am
Donna, Exotic is a good word for it, and it does engage the sense of touch with the silky buds. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 7:00 pm
You’ve provided such wonderful pictures and descriptions for edgeworthia. Is there a particular variety you recommend?
December 10, 2012 at 8:52 pm
Pbm, The post profiles Edgeworthia chrysantha. There is only one other species in the genus that I know of, E. papyrifera, and it may be just a subset of E. chrysantha. It is not supposed to be as hardy. Carolyn
December 17, 2012 at 9:22 am
Papyrifera was the first one I owned, after falling in love with the plant at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in the early nineties. It had smaller leaves, grew slower and smaller, and was significantly less cold hardy even for me in Atlanta. I haven’t seen anything but chrysantha on the market for years now.
As to size, papyrifera may go well over 6’x6′ in time, as I have one that is there in 6 years (in half sun). That said, it doesn’t seemed at all fazed by pruning. If only I were good at shaping!
As to sun or shade, I have six of these beauties of various ages surrounding my house. It doesn’t seem to care about sun or shade, although full sun leads to droopy leaves in summer. They recover immediately with water.
I prefer edgeworthia shaped to a single stem, but have seen it grown multi-stemmed also. I think I may let one in a lesser seen part of my garden go multi-stemmed since the stability of the single stem as it ages on a slope may become an issue.
I’m so glad that you are selling them in PA. I’ve transported quite a number of these to my relatives there in the last ten years, and now have an excuse not to! As edgeworthias age, if you have a little patience, you can root your own by allowing a ground sprout to grow awhile and placing a brick on it to encourage root development. One year later, voila. That said, I’d run to buy one and not lose that year!!! This is — if you haven’t guessed yet — my single favorite plant. I make a habit of gifting it to others so I can see more of them!
December 17, 2012 at 10:19 am
Lee Lee, Thank you so much for your extensive comment. I had concluded the same thing about sun and shade but on the basis of far less experience so it is great to hear confirmation. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 7:27 pm
So excited–I planted my first edgeworthia this fall, and I’m anxiously awaiting its blooms. I love the photos, Carolyn. I actually adore this plant when it’s just in bud–I think it adds great interest to the garden. Excellent information–thank you!
December 11, 2012 at 2:07 am
Julie, I think it is at its ornamental best when all the buds have swollen but not opened. What zone are you in? Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I am curious whether the Edgeworthia can tolerate growing in a pot. I keep a regular Daphne in a pot so I can move it around and protect it over winter until it grows some. Perhaps it is similar ?
December 11, 2012 at 2:08 am
Rosemary, I have never seen one growing in a pot. I have only seen three plants besides my two, and all three were in protected courtyard areas. Carolyn
June 1, 2016 at 9:39 pm
My Edgeworthia gets only the morning sun and has grown so tall (7 ft at least) that I had to prune it hard because it covered the windows. I can’t imagine that it could grow in a pot. By the way, the pruning did not affect new growth at all.
June 2, 2016 at 2:32 pm
Martha, What time of year did you prune it and how much did you take off? Carolyn
June 2, 2016 at 2:51 pm
Hello,
I only prune right after the flowers have faded. I also prune an entire branch if needed because the shape of mine is open, symmetrical, and I want it to stay that way–I don’t want a bush. Any of the shoots that come from the roots or base of the trunk I cut off too.
I still wish I could figure out why the older leaves yellow all during the season and fall off, that is the only thing that worries me. My Edgeworthia is now about 7 feet tall and as wide at this point. We had a few days this past winter that were close to zero degrees with high winds, the blooms did not last as long as usual, but it still smelled heavenly and looks great today.
June 2, 2016 at 3:45 pm
Joy, It is normal for the old leaves to turn yellow and fall off. All the edgeworthias I have ever seen do that. Carolyn
June 2, 2016 at 2:53 pm
I pruned it before the first budding, probably in January/February and I pruned it hard taking some limbs down to the trunk. I would guess two to three ft. as I tried to keep a nice shape to it. I knew I couldn’t let it grow on up past the windows and block all light in the bedroom so if it didn’t make it, I’d have to live with that. Not only did it make it, it has flourished and I will have to prune again this winter! These are hardy shrubs and fast growers unlike the Daphne.
December 10, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Carolyn,
What a beautiful and elegant shrub! If there are any left I would like to try one in southeast Michigan zone 6 (now changed from zone 5) and will grow it in a protected place, maybe in a area that Japanese maples would like. So please put me on your list – my husband and I drive to Malvern often to visit our daughter and her family so we could easily pick it up on our way. Love the snowflakes too!
Starr Foster
December 11, 2012 at 2:10 am
Starr, I am not actually going to sell these plants until April. If you are still interested, you could contact me at the end of March and ask about the status. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 9:24 pm
I saw my first Edgworthia on a garden tour (Patterns?) tucked in a corner, and fell in love with the bark and buds. I bought one at the Scott Arboretum sale in 2007 (?). It’s done wonderfully in my garden. I can enjoy the structure and color from the sun room in the winter, but venture out despite snow or rain for the scent.
December 11, 2012 at 2:14 am
Leslie, Thanks for reporting about your experience. What town and zone are you in? So glad you commented on the scent because I just read an article that made me question my memory of how lovely it is. Carolyn
December 10, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Simply beautiful. I was out snapping photos of mine today and was stunned at just how pretty they can be. Yours are gorgeous! Happy holidays to you and your family Carolyn!
December 11, 2012 at 2:15 am
Tina, I would love to see your photos when you are done with your break from blogging. Happy Holidays, Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 7:34 am
The buds are amazing, they realy look like silk tassles. A real gem of a shrub. Christina
December 11, 2012 at 7:49 am
Hi Carolyn, this plant was a favorite in the 2011 Native & Deciduous Shrubs class at Longwood. I bought 2 at the Scott sale last year, one of the species and one Red Dragon. The Red Dragon went belly up pretty quickly but the species has thrived in a very windy, exposed southern location in Darlington, MD. My most favorite shrub!
December 11, 2012 at 9:08 am
Ann, I am glad to hear they are covering edgeworthia at Longwood now. I thought they would be. The shrub I profiled is E. chrysantha. Although there is some confusion about this, ‘Red Dragon’ is a cultivar of a different species of edgeworthia, E. papyerifera, which is less hardy as you found out. I am glad you wrote in because I was thinking of trying it anyway because the flowers are so beautiful. I would love to hear from other readers who have tried ‘Red Dragon’. Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 9:56 am
Can I get on the list for an edgeworthia in April? Thank you! Interesting post.
December 11, 2012 at 10:09 am
Lourdes, Are you local because I am not mail order? You don’t appear to be on my customer email list. Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 9:59 am
Oh no!! Now I wish I had ordered a paper bush! What beautiful photos. I am however loving my Winter’s Joy! The flowers are beginning to open-thanks Carolyn:)
December 11, 2012 at 10:10 am
Robin, Camellia x ‘Winter’s Joy’ is a gorgeous plant too. I am glad you are enjoying it. Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 3:18 pm
I’ve seen edgeworthia in a couple nurseries around here, and though the buds and blooms were beautiful, I thought the young plants looked awkward as they were basically a stick with a few measly little branches at the top. The mature bushes you have pictured, however, are gorgeous! How quickly does it grow?
December 11, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Indie, The plants I sold and the ones I planted were in three gallon pots so they didn’t look as awkward as they might have if smaller. Edgeworthia does have a sticky look to it. The first photo in the post of the Scott plant was taken in 2012 and the last picture in the post is of the same plant in 2006 so that gives you some idea. Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 10:01 pm
It is such a beautiful plant. I doubt it would take our freeze/thaw and blistery winds in late February/March. It is not offered for sale up here by our suppliers and not grown at the tree and shrub nursery either. Sorry I can not vouch for growing conditions for the plant. I know you have been busy, but did you see a post I did and linked to you?
December 12, 2012 at 9:27 am
Donna, I only know of one nursery that supplies it down here. It is still quite rare. I keep trying to find time to read blogs and have barely kept up with my emails. I look forward to catching up with your post. Thanks for the link )in advance). Carolyn
December 11, 2012 at 10:29 pm
I have two Edgeworthia. I brought one with me from VA in a gallon pot, two and a half years ago. It is now almost five feet tall. It is in dappled morning shade, a window of full sun in the mid afternoon, and shaded in late afternoon. There are some growing in the trial gardens at Park Seed (a couple miles from my house) and they are in almost full sun.
I have a second one that is almost as large as the first one that I bought down here (SC). Had hoped there were two in the pot, wanted to have a row of three. Wasn’t lucky with that. Now I want to propagate one of them so I can have three. Have you done any propagating of these? Or daphne, since they are similar.
December 12, 2012 at 9:31 am
Janet, Thanks for all that great growing information. Edgeworthias grow fast in SC! Many years ago at the Barnes Arboretum School of Horticulture I propagated a daphne from a cutting using rooting hormone and storing it over the winter in a greenhouse. That is my sole experience. Carolyn
December 12, 2012 at 9:38 am
What a surprise to see this in PA, even in southeastern PA. I didn’t think it would be hardy farther north than zone 7. I adore this plant and have one in my zone 7b garden (North Carolina), where it blooms in late February. Here it needs part shade, but I would imagine it would want more sun farther north.
December 12, 2012 at 11:24 am
Sarah, I don’t have a big sample but edgeworthia seems to be pretty tolerant of shade or sun. If you read the comments, there are plants growing in SC in full sun. I am in zone 7a so not that far off from your zone. The Scott Arboretum plant has been in the ground since 2003, and I think Charles’s may be older because it’s much bigger. The oldest reference to it growing in the US that I have found is 1993 at the fairgrounds in Raleigh. It is such a new plant that I don’t feel that I can make any generalizations about where or how it grows. Carolyn
December 16, 2012 at 10:06 am
You have shown photos of this beautiful shrub before but not the open flowers (unless I missed a post). It has wonderful form ! Once again I wish I lived closer to you – this plant is not sold in my area.
December 16, 2012 at 10:41 am
I had never heard of Edgeworthia before (relatively new gardener) – that’s a beautiful looking shrub. I looked it up on my local nursery website – they do have stock – but unfortunately, it’s recommended for a sheltered spot here in Scotland and as my garden is quite open mainly due to plants being immature. This may be one for future planting when some of my trees and shrubs ‘get up a bit’.
I’m pleased I stopped by and now have another beauty to add to my ever increasing ‘wish list’
December 16, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Angie, I have a life list of plants that I eventually want to grow and some plants have been on the list for more than 20 years. It gives me something to look forward to. You will love your edgeworthia eventually. Carolyn
December 16, 2012 at 1:44 pm
I could not imagine a garden of mine without this A+ plant. Here in zone 8a mine resides on the the north side of the house and only gets direct sun for an hour or so during high summer. I have found it to be drought tolerant after the first year, unless we are in a bad drought situation. Thanks for helping make this plant known.
December 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Les, I agree, edgeworthia is an A+ plant that needs to become better known. Mine seem to be drought tolerant but go limp whenever they are dry. Do you have that experience or do you water them? Carolyn
December 18, 2012 at 7:28 pm
I have seen them go limp in very dry weather, but the pop right back if I catch it in time. At my old job we had one in the display garden that got little supplemental water during dry times, and although the plant lived through it, the flowers were puny the next winter.
December 19, 2012 at 9:01 am
Les, Our edgeworhtias went limp quite a few times during the summer, but the flowers look fine now. Because one of them had been planted the previous fall, my husband would take pity on them and water them which is against our Carolyn’s Shade Gardens no coddling policy. This summer they will probably have to fend for themselves. Carolyn
December 16, 2012 at 10:07 pm
This one has been in my sights for a while… and I am glad to hear that you think it is worth giving it a try, maybe even in zone 5? Anything is possible, especially with these mild winters.
December 17, 2012 at 8:51 am
Julie, Zone 5 is a stretch but you have grown other plants that I wouldn’t think you could. You need a protected microclimate in your garden. Let me know what happens. Carolyn
December 22, 2012 at 8:06 am
Carolyn, I remember seeing this shrub when we visited Chanticleer together last year, and somehow I could not admire it as much as you did. But your photographs are stunning and have obviously entranced your many readers! We are spending Christmas in the foothills of the Himalayas so I am just hoping we might see Edgeworthia in its native habitat. Jill
December 22, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Jill, I have been thinking of you and wondering how your stay in India is going—so glad you checked in. Edgeworthia in its native habitat, on my. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Please keep in touch. Carolyn
January 7, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Carolyn, I can’t get this blog entry to let me leave a comment (maybe it’s full?), but I thought I’d tell you 2 things: 1. The edgeworthia I bought from you in the fall is doing great, and we get to see it every time we walk from the street to the front door. It’s in (what will be) high shade most of the day, some sun in the late afternoon. More feedback as the seasons pass. 2. I’m on the Board of Awbury Arboretum in Germantown, and our landscape manager there, Denis Lucey, says edgeworthia is his favorite shrub by far.
Louise
January 7, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Louise, You must have figured the comment problem out. Comments are never full. Denis Lucey is a customer of mine. Please give him my best and tell him I agree, although I could never use the word favorite, definitely top 5. Carolyn
January 23, 2013 at 5:35 pm
[…] – Carolyn’s Shade Gardens “The silky hairs glow in the light, and the plant looks like it is covered with hundreds of silver flowers–simply breathtaking. …It is a multi-stemmed shrub that forms an almost perfectly rounded umbrella shape of cinnamon colored branches.” – Carolyn on Edgeworthia […]
February 1, 2013 at 10:30 am
[…] is new to me. Carolyn from Carolyn’s Shade Garden wrote an excellent article about them in December. I was quite intrigued by the post, where she included this particular specimen at the College. I […]
February 18, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Hi Carolyn
I would love to order an Edgeworthia for myself.
I live in MD, and my garden is fenced against deer, but we do have a resident bunny. Will he destroy the edgeworthia?
Also, I am planning some landscaping within a paved courtyard, and wondering if you can suggest a small, unusual, flowering tree (preferably evergreen). I love multi trunk trees like the Crape Myrtle, but already have quite a few in the front yard.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Anu
February 20, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Anu, I don’t have rabbits so am not sure what they will bother. I am a retail nursery. I don’t ship plants except snowdrops and miniature hosta. There is an evergreen dogwood called something like Empress of China that might work. Carolyn
September 3, 2013 at 11:12 am
Hi everyone!
I recently acquired to beautiful plants that I am going to try in zone 5b, SE Michigan. I am struggling with site selection, but from the sounds of it this beautiful plant can thrive in sun and shade. I am obviously worried about hardiness, so winter protection is an issue. Should I mound up mulch at the base around Thanksgivng like I do with my roses and mums? Should I even go so far as to put up some wind screens for the first winter or two? I can’t wait to care for these and see if I can be successful.
September 8, 2013 at 3:04 pm
I would look for the warmest microclimate you have in your garden. A walled-in secluded corner that faces away from the prevailing winter winds—I am not sure which direction they come from in Michigan. Just because you are zone 5B doesn’t mean you don’t have little pockets of zone 6. I would definitely mulch and protect from wind.
September 8, 2013 at 6:30 pm
T,
Would you mind telling me where you found your edgeworthia? I am in SE Michigan also, so it would be interesting to compare notes. I have a corylopsis – not pauciflora, I forget which one – but this year it has doubled in size and was loaded with beautiful yellow chains of flowers last spring. So I am encouraged to try an edgeworthia. Carolyn’s suggestions for finding a microclimate and mulching are good ones, thanks Carolyn!
Starr
September 9, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Starr, I hope everyone understands that I am not recommending an edgeworthia for zone 5. I grow mine in zone 6B. The previous commenter was intent on trying it in Michigan so I just told him what I would do if I wanted to grow a plant that’s outside my zone. Generally I stick with plants that are zone appropriate because of the maintenance aspects. I don’t even plant plants that require extra water. Good luck, Carolyn
May 26, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Hi.
My 2 Edgeworthia survived a brutal 5B winter of extended -20s. One was protected from the South and the East, and the other was totally unprotected.
May 26, 2014 at 8:59 pm
T, Thanks for reporting in. The edgeworthias in our zone 7A area, which never went below freezing this winter, were damaged but not killed, although some didn’t suffer at all. At least now I think we know they are definitely hardy here. Carolyn
April 25, 2014 at 9:52 am
I have had an Edgeworthia chrysantha growing in my yard (NE side of house, against a rock wall) on Cape Cod, MA for over 12 years, and it is spectacular every winter thru spring. It did partially die back one winter when it went down to -8, but no problems since. It currently is about 7-8′ high by 12’15’ wide.
April 25, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Hank, Thanks for giving us the information about your plant. What zone are you? Carolyn
April 25, 2014 at 2:47 pm
I am on the north side of Cape Cod in a relatively sheltered area, probably 7a where it is situated. Some Cedrus deodara, Cunninghamia lanceolata glauca, and Araucaria araucana have done well there also. Trying my first Camellia hybrid, April Kiss now.
April 25, 2014 at 3:00 pm
You are the same zone as us. The cold hardy camellia varieties work fine here, and the April Series are great.
August 24, 2014 at 5:03 pm
So glad to hear someone is growing one on Cape Cod as I am looking for a special plant for my mother! Last winter the buds freezedried and never opened on mine in Germantown (PA), but the plant is fine. It grows against the house with Southern exposure (otherwise not particularly protected) and no supplemental water. And there are photos on google of it growing in containers…..
August 25, 2014 at 10:07 am
I had a similar problem with the orange (?) flowering “Akebono” cultivar which I planted here in my new home, a little farther east on Cape Cod. It also was very slow to leaf out, so I bought another yellow flowering “Winter Gold” plant which duplicates the one at the previous home.
The Akebono finally leafed out, so now I have two growing side by side, vigorously.
The supplier of the Winter Gold plant says that Akebono is less hardy than his, we will see next spring.
August 25, 2014 at 8:43 pm
Hank, I guess the edgeworthias were on a schedule of their own this year. So glad you waited and thanks for letting us know. I have heard that the orange cultivar is not as hardy so I would love to hear back from you in future years. Carolyn
September 14, 2014 at 9:59 am
Hello, I am in zone 7b. This coming winter will be our 5th winter together. Mine is about 6 feet tall and the same around, it is in a moveable planter (which I do not move–but I would if we are hit with a hurricane or some other natural disaster), the planter is 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet long, it is has yellow flowers, and it is gorgeous, but I have a concern. Each time new leaves form at the top of a branch, a lower leaf turns yellow and drops off, it does this all summer long. I love the open form, but I want to make sure there isn’t anything wrong, such as a pest, disease, etc.–which I cannot find any evidence of. It is in a protected location, with morning sun, well mulched with my compost–but no mulch on the trunk, kept evenly moist, and the planter drains well. My Edgeworthia has always done this from the day I brought it home, it survived two terrible winters with only a few lost buds and I think it has grown a foot this summer. The reason it is in a planter is because I want to smell that heavenly fragrance each time I come and go from my front door in the winter. Has anyone seen this behavior on their Edgeworthia? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
September 17, 2014 at 11:10 am
Joy, I have noticed that the lower leaves turn yellow and fall off, but I didn’t know it was that regular. I think it’s just part of the way edgeworthias grow. Carolyn
September 17, 2014 at 11:19 am
I agree with Carolyn, that is just the way they grow. I recall seeing similar on my previous edgeworthia. I don’t see it now on either of mine, but they are pretty small.
Nice idea on the planter. My previous was around 50 feet from our door, but if the wind was right in March, the fragrance was apparent.
September 17, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Thanks for commenting, Hank, it is nice to have confirmation of information because there are so few edgeworthias around. Carolyn
September 17, 2014 at 4:50 pm
I really appreciate everyone taking time to leave comments. After reading my post–I can see I rambled and that I am very concerned about my lovely shrub. I will continue to keep an eye on her and hope this winter goes well for both of us! We get so attached to our plants–or is it just me?
September 18, 2014 at 11:09 am
I want people to ramble on about edgeworthias so that the information gets out there!
April 16, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Thank you for all the information on Edgeworthia. I bought one from you last spring and it did beautifully in the summer and fall, and late fall brought the tight white buds which I watched expectantly all through the winter. I was away for a few weeks in Jan-Feb. and then again in March,but not much has happened since then. I have been wondering if it was the harsh winter, and whether it will bloom or not this year. I am located in Middle Bucks County close to the river so it may not be as protected here as it is in suburban Philadelphia. It is planted in a southeastern exposure.
April 18, 2015 at 7:38 am
Anne, See my response to Joyce. I have concluded that edgeworthias are perfectly hardy in our zone. However, the temperatures were 10 degrees below the lows for our zone this winter and buds may have frozen. Carolyn
April 18, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Mine in Germantown on southeast side of house has bloomed nicely. Last year however none of the buds opened.
April 18, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Robyn, My edgeworthia in a more exposed site did not bloom last year either. Carolyn
April 16, 2015 at 4:46 pm
The Edgeworthia in my Wayne, PA garden was planted early last summer. It formed buds on virtually all branches by Fall, but some appear to have shriveled in the cold of late winter, and none have blossomed yet. It has partial sun/high shade. I am hoping that the recent warmth will result in the blossoms developing, and that the shrub will prove it has thrived. As Carolyn says – “Time will tell.”
April 18, 2015 at 7:36 am
Joyce, I planted my larger edgeworthia last spring and am amazed that every bud opened this spring. The flowers are beautiful and the fragrance is amazing. Mine faces southeast with a wall and shrubs behind it so it is protected from winter winds. I think that saved the buds from freezing in our exceedingly low temperatures this winter. Carolyn
July 24, 2015 at 3:34 pm
We have 2 Edgeworthias that were planted in full shade. They were not happy. We dug them & placed them in the woods where they merely survived for several years. We finally moved them to an irrigated bed facing west where they get lots of sun & water. They are flourishing & a great addition to our daylily bed. The foliage is beautiful!
July 24, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Patty, My edgeworthia that faces northeast and is overhung by an azalea, a vibunum, and several conifers is thriving. It does get a little morning sun. I would never plant edgeworthia in the woods, but it can take a fair amount of sun as long as it is protected from winter winds. Glad you have found a place for it. Carolyn
July 26, 2015 at 4:21 pm
In my Wayne garden, the Edgeworthia planted last year in an east facing spot with high shade seemed to thrive this Spring and Summer, even though the buds mostly froze over the winter. Then suddenly, about 2 weeks ago, one side of it started exhibiting some decline. A number of leaves turned yellow and fell, while other stems showed what I would call wilt. It now seems to be stabilizing, and most of it is as lovely as ever. My best guess is too much wetness, although there was no obvious ground saturation, and it sits on a slight down-slope. But the condition stopped progressing during our recent drier weather, so I am hoping the worst is passed.
July 29, 2015 at 7:25 am
Joyce, That must have been quite alarming. I have never seen that happen but wilting can be a sign of too much water as well as too little. Carolyn
September 24, 2015 at 4:40 pm
I am in zone 7B (North Carolina foothills). The edgeworthia is against the house, east facing, and it has surpassed all expectations so that now is covers my bedroom window. I need to prune it but don’t know when to prune because I love it in all seasons. Pruning may be considered heresy, but I also need some light through that window. Any suggestions?
September 24, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Vickie, Yes, edgeworthias can get quite large when they are happy. Pruning my be in my plant’s future too. It flowers on old wood so you would want to prune it right after it blooms. I have never done it but I don’t see why pruning would be a problem. Carolyn
September 24, 2015 at 7:30 pm
And the blooms are the white (in my case) flowers early in the spring/late winter?
September 24, 2015 at 8:46 pm
I think of them as silver with yellow interiors.
September 24, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Hello Edgeworthia lovers,
I did have to take off a branch that was against the house and I hated every second of it. The branch would have become damaged from rubbing on the house and I did not want that. The Edgeworthia was also starting to lean forward and with any hurricane it could have tumbled over–I am in zone 7B. Because the shape is so beautiful and the “shrub”–it is over 7 feet tall and wide now–I can hardly tell where I pruned the branch. I hope I never have to prune any more branches, it is such a gift in winter.
September 24, 2015 at 8:55 pm
Joy, There are so few edgeworthias in our area that I underestimated the size and planted it close to a very special Japanese maple and a thriving camellia. The day will come when drastic pruning will have to happen, but I am not looking forward to it. Carolyn
September 24, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Can they be moved if they outgrow their original spot in the garden?
September 25, 2015 at 10:24 am
Anne, I have never moved one—anyone can comment if they have. A Google search revealed not much information other than one edgeworthia that had been moved three times successfully. If the shrub has really outgrown its original spot, then I would move it and hope for the best because what choice do you have? If it dies, plant another, they are fast growing. Carolyn
September 25, 2015 at 10:45 am
Anne, I have moved medium sized ones without problems, but never a very large one, although I can’t see why it would fail. For me in the south (7b/8), E. chrysantha is nearly indestructible. Takes sun, part sun, shade, wet, dry. I would just take care to trench around the perimeter several weeks in advance to stimulate new roots to assist in the transplant process. At least, I say I would. I’d probably just move it when I couldn’t stand it anymore!
September 25, 2015 at 11:42 am
Anne, Thanks so much. That’s exactly what I wanted to answer. There’s the best time to transplant, prune, etc., in books, and then there’s the best time for me which is when I have time and motivation otherwise the job won’t get done. I have been hesitant to say that edgeworthia are indestructible because there aren’t many in our area, zone 6b/7. However, mine sailed through our harsh winter with -10 F (10 degrees below our supposed zone low) and bloomed. Now it is sailing through a very hot and dry summer with no additional watering and practically no rain since the end of July. Its leaves are dark green and it is covered with healthy buds. Carolyn
September 24, 2015 at 7:33 pm
I have to heavily prune one of several that wants to grow humongous by my front door walk every year. I thought a six foot spread area would be enough! I also prune this after the blooms are finished because I would never sacrifice them. I prune quite hard and plan to go harder, because as Carolyn says, it blooms on year old wood and every year I am fighting the beautiful but too large monster again. It isn’t pretty for about a month after pruning. Next year I will tackle it earlier, when the blooms start getting ragged, and not wait for them all to drop. Underplanting of Spring ephemerals has helped distract from the bareness. I do believe you could cut one to the ground without fear of harm given the basal shoots they push up. And fortunately they are fast growers which have gone down greatly in cost. Now the prior less hardy version, papyrifera, with a smaller leaf I would have hesitated to prune. That one shared more of the daphne family fickleness.
September 24, 2015 at 8:52 pm
Liane, I think Edgeworthia papyrifera is not hardy in our area. There is also a cultivar with orange flowers called ‘Red Dragon’ or ‘Akebono’ which I covet but is also not hardy. The plant does send up a lot of shoots from the base which could be allowed to grow and fill in the plant if you don’t like the bare branches. I love the stark branch structure with the large silver buds in the winter. Carolyn
September 28, 2015 at 6:22 pm
I have just found your site . i live in zone 8a,and would like to know if i can purchase Edgeworthia from you ?If yes, please send me details.
Heather @ heathrss@aol.com
September 28, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Sorry, Heather, the only plants I ship are snowdrops and mini hostas. Carolyn
February 18, 2016 at 9:58 am
I am about 50 miles south of ATlanta and have grown two edgeworthia for about five years. I agree, it is the Belle of the winter Garden. Beautiful shape and the smell is out of this world. I am in about 40 full sun and it is doing very well. WE are Zone 7B, [ a little colder than an 8 but not as cold as a true Zone 7 😉
Thanks for your blog, I really enjoy this plant as well.
Anna Evans
Griffin, GA
February 19, 2016 at 4:13 pm
Anna, thanks for adding to the information about edgeworthia. Your data will be helpful to southern gardeners. Carolyn
April 6, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Greeting from South East Bulgaria 150 miles north west of the Bosporus/ Istanbul and 40 miles west of the Black Sea in what would be US hardiness zone 7a bordering 6. It usually does not get below 8F here. In fact most of the time it is about freezing or above in winter. Though 0F have been recorded back in time. But my worries are not that much about the hardiness as about the drought and heat tolerance in summer, as it is hot and quite dry in summer. For example a kiwi struggles here!!! So, my question is should I rather plant it on the East side of the house with afternoon shade or on the south side under the semi shade from grape vines??? Is more sun needed for better blooming/ scent??? Does scent travel in the air and to what distance??? Also, would water absorbing/ retaining additives, root-grow fungi to the planting mix, pebbles around the base to keep it cool in summer, to help it survive a drought, if there would be noone to water it? Your reply would be highly appreciated!!!
April 6, 2016 at 4:56 pm
Hi Nikolay, Fun to get a comment from your part of the world. I am in 6b/7a, mostly 6b for the last few winters. However it gets very hot here in the summer, 90 to 100 degrees routinely in July and August and there is usually a drought. We had no rain and high temperatures from August 1 through most of September last year, and I didn’t water my edgeworthia—it thrived. It is in an east facing location with lots of morning sun and afternoon shade, average soil with lots of other plants around it. It has protection from winter winds, which come from the north west here, so that the buds, which form in November, don’t dessicate. I think protection from winter winds is the most important consideration. My plant blooms prolifically and scents the whole side of the house. Carolyn
April 6, 2016 at 5:28 pm
Hello Nikolay,
I am in zone 8/7B/A–depending on the year and climate of the current season. I did not plant my Edgeworthia in full sun and would not do it in your region. Mine gets morning sun only. I do occasionally have to water it in a dry summer and I have it situated so it is protected from winter winds.
When I walk up my driveway I start to smell the scent from about 20 meters away, heavenly! It is near my front door so most of the winter I have the scent wafting into my house.
I have a lose cover of pine needles close to the base and out to the drip line of the tree (it is now a very large shrub/tree–it is about 2 and a half meters tall and as wide).
Edgeworthia’s seem to be very hardy, but I will not test mine. I also love Daphne’s but they do not seem to do as well for me so about 7 years ago it was suggested to me to try the Chinese Paper bush and I am glad I did.
Keep in touch and let us know where you decide to plant your lovely Edgeworthia and how she fares.
June 1, 2016 at 3:24 pm
Thank you to everyone. Well, I did not really think any one would pay attention to my comment so did not check here. Or had not ticked the right box for notifications to see your replies earlier. I ordered the edgeworthia chrysantha from England. It is not found in Bulgaria. I was also thinking about planting it in afternoon shade as I was worried for the scorching summer sun but then that would be a side open to the wind in winter, which I thought was the bigger problem, so I planted it in a sheltered from the winter wind but very sunny spot. Also I had read standing water in winter was not good for the roots, which is a problem for me in some winters, esp with underground water raising to the surface, so I made a drainage with stone at the bottom of the hole and planted the edgeworthia on top of the stones. Now, since roots have not developed yet, the leaves shrivel up in the afternoon if not watered every other day. It rains every few days now and still it is not enough and extra watering is needed. Do you think providing some shade from a big umbrella or cover and covering the area around the trunk with stones would help the leaves not shrivel?
June 1, 2016 at 9:02 pm
Hello Nikolay,
In my area and I believe several Edgeworthia owners have noted on this site, that the older leaves yellow and drop off all during the season, but new ones continue to grow. Are the leaves on your Edgeworthia exhibiting this behavior or are the leaves actually shriveling-up first and then falling off? If the exposure to direct sun is for many hours I would try anything–umbrella, stone, pine straw, lean-to, etc. to see if it helps. Then if nothing works I would move it if at all possible. I hope something works for you soon. Keep in touch.
November 4, 2016 at 11:13 am
Joy, by the way, it just occurred to me since you are in about the same climate conditions as I, I was suggested a possibly dry tolerant cold hardy daphne called Pontica HYBRID – http://www.seidelbast.net/ponticahybrid.html The guy is called Dirk and he is in Germany. Not sure he could send a plant to USA for sanitary regulations. Not sure you can find this daphne in America, as it is very rare even in Europe. Another option is Junkers Nursery in England (www.junker.co.uk) which Dirk got the Pontica Hybrid from. Another try for dry weather is Transatlantica Eternal Fragrance. If you contact Dirk in Germany, let him know you have heard about it from Nik from Bulgaria. Thank you!!!
June 23, 2018 at 11:57 am
Hello Nik,
I am sorry it has taken me two years to see your post. Life always gets in the way of gardening.
Thank you for the information about Dirk, his site is wonderful.
I hope your Edgeworthia is doing well this year.
April 7, 2016 at 8:40 am
Nikolay,
Carolyn’s advice is dead on. I have had edgeworthias in the southeast US (7b/8) for over 20 years now and have never lost an Edgeworthia chrysantha, even during several true drought years, no matter where I planted them, nor have I lost the blooms in any year. Cold combined with wind seems to be the bigger enemy of this plant in zone 6b gardens as Carolyn and everyone I know in Pennsylvania with them has experienced.
The worst the plant will experience in drought is droopy sad leaves during the day. Some supplemental water will perk it right up (though you need not do it at the first sign of droops). I have often left mine — which are in all possible sun and shade conditions — during blazing hot, dry July or August for a week to ten days with no ill consequences.
The only caveat I might add, since you are in Bulgaria, is to be certain the plant you get is the large leaved Edgeworthia chrysantha and not the smaller leaved Edgeworthia papyrifera (if that is even still available in the trade). The papyrifera is much less cold harder and vigorous. It was a more elegant plant (closer looking to a daphne) but far more fussy and slow growing (like a daphne) than chrysantha. I did lose one of those to a particularly bad southern winter once!
November 3, 2016 at 1:28 am
Greetings from Bulgaria, EVERYONE. I wanted to attach a picture but do not see an option to do it. Need more advice on my Chrysantha. As I was worried about root rotting in winter I planted it in a sheltered from cold winds southern location under the leaves of a grape vine with drainage of stones at the bottom of the hole. Yet ww had no rain 4 months till the end of September. Even now in November its leaves are droopy and in summer they were shrivelling and drying completely. I even had to cut a whole shrivelled branch. Basically I had to water it every day not to have the leaves droop. Now about cold hardiness, I came upon an updated Europe hardiness zone showing I am in 7 bordering 8 but 6 is less than 50 miles away – the zones in South East Europe are too narrow meabing extremities are not out of the quesrion. In the last years I am not getting temperatures around -13C or 9F and that is for short periods, a few hours a couple of times each winter, most of the time it is around freezing or a bit above at night only. I need to replant my Chrysantha now to a new shadier location on the side of a big fir tree and a bit elevated location so without a drainage in the hole which turned out bad. I need advice as to the soil mix. I used coco coir, flower potting substrate, vemiculite, zeolite, sand and very little of my heavy loamy black clay soil. Now after the dry hot summer I am thinking the potting mix I used with the drainage was drying out too fast unlike my clay soil and this time I should use more of my clay soil, at least 50%!? And maybe more rootgrow, the fungi creating an addit. Root system!? BIGGEST CONCERN IS IF I SHOULD PLANT IT DEEPER SO IT HAS MORE CHANCES TO GET MORE MOISTURE IN SUMMER, in case there would be noone at the lication to water it in summer in the future!? Also, I want ti transplant it now, not in Spring, as I will not be here then. Is it ok? I am to apply some healthy soil bacteria roo to lower the transplant. Stress. Thank you!
November 3, 2016 at 1:13 pm
Everyone feel free to chime in! As for me, my edgeworthia is thriving in zone 7 with temperature and weather conditions very similar to yours. We have very hot summers here, 90 to 100 degrees F, and it didn’t rain for a lot of July, August, and September. I do not water so the plant receives no supplemental water. It is planted in the existing clay soil mixed half and half with leaf compost. It faces east and is surrounded by other shrubs and overhung by trees. It is getting so big that I may have to cut it back! Hope that helps. Carolyn
November 3, 2016 at 5:45 pm
Carolyn, do you think mine might be struggling because it was brought from England which has a much wetter climate. Should it adapt with time? If not, I guess I will have to try a more Southern raised US Chrysantha… What exactly is a leaf compost (leaves which turned into soil?). Would newly fallen Autumn leaves do the job or what could I use instead of a leaf compost, if I do not have it?
November 4, 2016 at 11:19 am
It is hard to give advice not seeing your sight. My gut reaction would be that you are worrying about drainage too much. Any compost will do, it doesn’t have to be from leaves. My compost just happens to be composed of thoroughly decomposed leaves.
May 20, 2016 at 9:34 am
The fragrance of this plant is awesome
May 20, 2016 at 8:02 pm
I agree!
June 20, 2016 at 10:11 am
Why are the Edgeworthia leaves turning yellow and dropping.it is only June.should I be feeding it?
June 21, 2016 at 5:47 am
Old leaves turn yellow and fall off regularly. I do not fertilize mine but you could try it.
June 21, 2016 at 7:11 am
In Atlanta, in the blazing heat and humidity, occasionally leaves will yellow and drop from June through August. If the whole plant looks mopey as sometimes happen, I will water it (but not otherwise). I have never fertilized an edgeworthia It’s such an unfussy plant and grows for me in full sun or full shade. I’d leave it be. An edgeworthia can drop all it’s old leaves and resprout in the course of a few weeks which I have seen recently where one is stressed from transplanting (oh, say after being yanked from the ground in Georgia and put in barely any soil and taken to Kennett Square to one’s mum in a long car ride!). I even did a radical pruning (you might say chopping) on a giant one that outgrew it’s space and then moved it to entirely different conditions (from part sun moist to bone dry shade) and darned if the thing isn’t regrowing beautifully from the bottom up! Be patient. Don’t over or under water and it will likely be fine.
June 21, 2016 at 11:26 pm
Dear Carolyn, I have just planted one in a sheltered location in Kirkland Wa, outside of Seattle. It was planted in late winter, and now, June 20th is showing some yellow leaves on the lower branches. We have just had a lot of rain after a dry spell. I will be observing. It is in moderate shade in the summer, under trees. It is gorgeous in the winter. Will pamper and baby if need.
Pamela
June 22, 2016 at 11:56 am
Hello Pamela,
As we have all noted and Carolyn has responded, this is a characteristic of Edgeworthia. For me the yellow leaves are very noticeable because my tree is front and center in the front yard, so I fret about the yellow leaves too, but as long as everything else the tree needs is in correct order, I will just pick up the yellow leaves off the ground.
November 5, 2016 at 1:04 pm
My day is complete! I just found two buds on my baby Edgeworthia. Bought at a garden show in early spring. It’s all of 18″ tall now. I’ll have something to watch carefully through the winter.
November 6, 2016 at 11:40 am
Kathy, How exciting! I can never decide whether the buds or the flowers are more beautiful. Carolyn
December 20, 2016 at 3:08 pm
Can I order for shipping 3 Edgeworthia chrisantha’s from your nursery. if not could you recommend a supplyer
December 21, 2016 at 11:59 am
David, I only ship snowdrops and mini hostas. I don’t have a recommended mail order source. I would just have to goggle it. Carolyn
January 5, 2017 at 7:48 am
We planted a whip of paper bark about 2 springs ago
Eastern sun; partial shade; a protected area
In The Heather Garden at Ft Tryon in Washington Heights NYC
It is so happy
I water her in the summer about twice a week
It has grown into a small shrub at this point and appears ready to bloom for the second year
I’m partial to her because a previous boss said it would never make it
Thank you for your info
Happy Winter
January 5, 2017 at 9:27 pm
Emily, I too find Edgeworthia to be a very hardy plant. I am going to write a follow up blog post soon about my experience over the last few years. I never water mine and it thrives. Carolyn
January 28, 2017 at 6:41 pm
If you are following these comments, you will want to know that I have posted an additional article on edgeworthia called “Edgeworthia Update”. Follow this link https://carolynsshadegardens.com/2017/01/28/edgeworthia-update/ and please make a comment with your edgeworthia exeriences!
Carolyn
March 13, 2017 at 11:29 pm
Curious to see if anyone has experience growing Edgeworthia in a container? I’m in Zone 7A and limited to a container garden. Thanks in advance!
March 14, 2017 at 7:50 am
Hope readers can help Liz decide whether she can grow an edgeworthia in a container on an east facing, part shade terrace in New York City zone 7A. Carolyn
March 14, 2017 at 9:39 am
If she does not have a garden, just terrace, then I would suggest a big pot having its inner walls insulated with thick layer of vermiculite, vermiculite in the potting mix plus on top as a cover. It also holds water and feeding ingredients in summer.
March 14, 2017 at 12:42 pm
thanks for your suggestions!
March 14, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Re: Edgeworthia – as of today, with a late winter storm raging, I fear that the last of the buds on my shrub have withered, making this another year without the joy of experiencing it in full bloom. I live in the same zone as Carolyn, and we’ve had a very mild winter. Plus, I believe I have it sited well. But I guess we have a micro-climate factor that works against me, otherwise known as the whims of Mother Nature.
March 14, 2017 at 1:44 pm
Joyce, The buds on my edgeworthia are still fine. They were in bloom because we had temperatures in the low 70s before it went down to 18 degrees F on 3/4/17 and 14 F on 3/5. Then it was in the upper 60s so more flowers opened before being hit with lows in the teens starting 3/11 and continuing in the forecast through at least 3/16. I am not sure why your buds would freeze and mine wouldn’t. Mine is in an east-facing location with partial shade backed by shrubs and trees and a stone wall, which block winter winds from the northwest. I think that’s key! Carolyn
March 14, 2017 at 2:03 pm
My Edgeworthia is in a SE facing spot, with partial shade. The site is about 15 feet from the house, which I would think provides protection from the NW. But since your son Alex will be helping with our spring clean-up soon, I’ll be asking his advice. In season, the shrub seems fine, but if relocation will help, we’ll find a better spot for it.
March 14, 2017 at 6:26 pm
Great, Joyce, I am sure Alex and Practiced Hands Gardening can help. Carolyn
March 14, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Hello Liz,
I have mine in a 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet long, container that I built and the container is in a protected location–sheltering the plant from full sun and winds. I should have taken it out of the container last year. It is now so large–just as wide as it is tall–that it will take 3 or 4 strong people to move it. I built the container using screws so I could take the container apart without destroying it when I needed to transplant my shrub. Unless you can give up your Edgeworthia before it gets too large, then I would not plant one. I would have a hard time giving mine up, they are so beautiful and fragrant.
March 14, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Joy, this is really helpful. How many years was the plant growing in your container? I’m wondering if it’s worth trying, and pruning the plant as I go to keep things more manageable.
March 14, 2017 at 2:00 pm
These are fast and large growers. Although these are forgiving plants, a woman I spoke to at a Georgia Perennial Assn event said she had tried and failed several times with containers. I was a little surprised given the success I have had with these in all kinds of sites (wet/dry, sun/shade). But I would say that unless you are committed to serious pruning or a very large container, skip the container. Alternatively, there are some Edgeworthias out there that are a cross of chrysantha and papyrifera, which Mark Weathington of JCRaulston Arboretum says will be smaller and which might work.
March 14, 2017 at 6:24 pm
Great info, Liane. Liz, maybe an edgeworthia bonsai is in your future. Carolyn
May 27, 2017 at 10:34 am
Hi Carolyn! I found your post while looking for info about E.c. drooping its leaves in afternoon sun. I hope it won’t be a problem. P.S. Unfortunately, ads on this page cause some problems – the screen is jumping back to them, making it difficult to read and to write a comment. Hopefully, it’ll be gone soon. Thank you for the article!
May 29, 2017 at 6:09 pm
Tatyana, The drooping leaves are not a problem. I am not sure what is going on with the ads. No one has ever mentioned that, and I have nothing to do with them. They are placed by WordPress, my blog host. Carolyn
June 6, 2017 at 10:52 am
I have an Edgeworthia in Seattle (zone 8) which does very well except that about 10% of the leaves become distorted each year in a way that looks like some kind of virus. My neighbor has the same problem. Do you have any experience with pests/diseases on this plant? Thanks
June 6, 2017 at 1:35 pm
No, I don’t. All the plants that I “follow” around here are extremely healthy. Sometimes if an insect chews on the leaf bud before it opens, then the leaf will be distorted. Maybe that is what is happening to yours.
June 7, 2017 at 5:26 am
When is the time to collect seed and can new plants be propagated by seed?
June 7, 2017 at 8:14 am
I have no idea. Maybe some of the people who follow these comments have tried edgeworthia from seed.
June 15, 2017 at 10:17 pm
I just purchased an edgeworthia from my favorite nursery in the Atlanta area. I looked up care for edgeworthia and happened onto your Blog. I love it. It there more current blogs? Where is your Garden. I can only shade garden because of all our beautiful trees that I could never cut down to gain sunlight I did have them “limbed” up so we are getting a little more intense dappled sun in many areas.
I was so happy to read that edgeworthia is kin to Winter Daphne. I really love so many things that bloom in the shade.
Wish I could see your garden.
Thank you so much for your beautiful pictures and valuable information.
Sharon Oliver
June 16, 2017 at 2:05 pm
Sharon, Unfortunately, my blog is a little confusing because if you get there using a Goggle search, the home page information does not show up because the right sidebar is not there. All the information that you need is on the right sidebar, if it’s not there just click the snowdrop banner at the top. There is basic information about the nursery along with catalogues and a place to subscribe to the blog. Glad you enjoyed it. Carolyn
August 15, 2017 at 10:59 am
This spring was a hard one for my Edgeworthias on Cape Cod. The ‘winter gold’ E. chrysantha had a couple of flowers come out in February, but they and the rest of the buds died in March when temperatures went well below freezing. It has come back well, however, with very little die back.
Not so with my E. papyrifera ‘Akebono’. It did not flower at all, and only has started to leaf out around the beginning of August. Unless I dig it up and bring it in, it will likely not survive at all.
August 18, 2017 at 10:22 am
Hank, Akebono is not supposed to be hardy where we are. I think Cape Cod and southeastern PA are the same zone. The buds of E. chrysantha can get frozen with a resulting loss of flowers but the plants bounce right back. Carolyn
August 18, 2017 at 10:33 am
From what I hear and read, ‘Akebono’, though a dramatic cultivar, has not been very successful for many. To all reports, it is less hardy and less floriferous. A shame, but often the case with orange or red cultivars of white flowering plants. I waited years for a few blooms on my Osmanthus frangrans aurantiacus, planted in similar conditions to the abundant blooming fragrans. I have seen only a couple of truly thriving aurantiacus.
June 24, 2018 at 8:09 am
Akebono did not make it through the winter, but Winter Gold flowered very well, in spite of another very cold March,
June 24, 2018 at 8:22 am
It would help to know where you are. ‘Akebono’, which is an Edgworthia papyrifera, not an E. chrysantha (although there is some confusion), is not hardy here in zone 7A, southeastern PA. Edgeworthia chrysantha and its cultivars like ‘Winter Gold’ are completely hardy, although the buds will freeze in extremely cold winters like 2017-2018, and there may be some branch die back.
June 24, 2018 at 9:13 am
I am now located in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts. In my previous posts I described our huge and spectacular E. chrysantha which we had for fifteen years in Barnstable, Massachusetts. both would be Zone 7.
June 24, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Thanks!
May 26, 2018 at 11:41 am
This blog has been very helpful, thank you Carolyn. Our Edgeworthia is about 9 years old now, and last year and this, many of the upper leaves have become shriveled and unattractive, and then die back. I don’t care so much about the unattractive quality, I just don’t want to lose one of my favorite shrubs of all time!! I like everything about this plant, it’s lovely bark, growing habit, the exciting anticipation through the winter seeing the lovely silky buds waiting to burst, the joy the flowers give us in the spring, and the tropical showy leaves in the summer.
As a number of you have experienced, my Edgeworthia has become huge, it is was about 8ft high and 10ft wide, and I just had to prune it to allow for sunlight through our window. For years I have been removing the 50 or so suckers from the base of this plant, and last year I took about two feet off some of the tallest branches. Although here in piedmont NC we had a cold winter this year, we have had colder, so I don’t think the low temperatures are the reason for our problem, I think I probably just didn’t prune severely enough. So I’m getting from this blog that I should prune more severely in the early spring (ouch, scary!)?? How about fertilizers?
Thanks for your help! Robin
June 21, 2018 at 2:34 pm
My Edgeworthia plant is healthy, but I notice the bottom leaves are turning yellow, do I need to fertilize or is this natural to the species?
June 21, 2018 at 9:29 pm
That’s what they do.
June 22, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Hi Judith,
For the first couple of years after planting my Edgeworthia, I fretted over the yellowing leaves, but as Carolyn noted, that’s what they do.
October 28, 2018 at 5:02 pm
I’m in north Georgia, and I fell in love with this plant when I first saw it. Its planted in full shade but sometime in the summer it needs extra water due to the heat in the air and dryness of the soil.
It’s very hardy and spreads from the root. I’ve transplanted stalks with roots with no issues and minimal care.
November 10, 2018 at 3:15 am
H Caroline.
I have one and live in southern England.
I was wondering, what do you do about pruning Edgeworthia and are there any problems you should look out for associated with pruning?
Best regards
Colin.
November 12, 2018 at 11:27 am
Colin, I recommend that you read the comments on this post and a later post that I wrote on Edgeworthia called Edgeworthia Update to get pruning information given by edgeworthia growers all over the world. I have never pruned mine. Click here https://carolynsshadegardens.com/2017/01/28/edgeworthia-update/. Carolyn
November 12, 2018 at 11:33 am
I have pruned one edgeworthia back to the ground when it became unstable on its large central stem on a slope (5-6″ diameter) and it has sprouted and regrown beautifully. These shrubs are nearly indestructible by human hand — only the cold seems to take its toll. E. chrysantha can grow very large in my area — an unknown when I first planted them, so I have pruned in all kinds of ways in all kinds of weather with no pruning damage. I avoid doing it in extreme heat or cold, and wait for it to bloom, but aside from that, prune freely. I originally favored the look of a vase like central stem, which proved stupid on a slope, so I advise taking terrain into consideration.
November 12, 2018 at 11:35 am
Liane, thanks for commenting on pruning. Where are you located? Carolyn
November 12, 2018 at 11:39 am
Atlanta
November 30, 2018 at 9:54 pm
I have 3 of these growing in part shade and they are magnificent. I’ve had them for about 8 years and hardly do anything to maintain them, just pinestraw mulch seems to keep them happy. I am going to try propogating from cutting soon but have heard it’s virtually impossible to do.
December 1, 2018 at 10:38 am
I don’t think they are at all hard to propagate. Push a branch into the ground, stick a brick or stone on it, and one year later you will have a rooted plant to detach from the main — much like an azalea.
December 1, 2018 at 11:23 am
Thanks so much for answering the propagation question. I am so glad that readers treat these comments like a forum and answer each other’s questions.
September 12, 2019 at 3:01 pm
I have always wanted one but was told it wasn’t hardy in my climate (5 – southwestern CT). Was surprised to see one at my favorite nursery and snatched it up. Planted it under a big oak, east facing, will get 4 or so hours of morning sun in summer. Will see how it does – I have high hopes!
September 13, 2019 at 1:48 pm
Hi, I am growing what I believe is an Edgeworthia, however I have never seen mine flower. Is it because I live in a country that has no winter? We have very rainy season and very dry season and our weather is, most of the time, very hot. My plants just grow lush green leaves and they keep growing without flowering or loosing their leaves. Is there perhaps a similar plant that looks like the Edgeworthia but isn’t? I’ve researched and researched and the only name that keeps popping up to identify my plants is Edgeworthia.
September 13, 2019 at 3:04 pm
I don’t know anything about growing edgeworthias in tropical climates. Perhaps some other commenters could help.
September 13, 2019 at 3:28 pm
No idea. Mine have set buds this summer while temps hovered in the 90s. Unless you have the red / orange form, akebono, which was apparently a blooming flop for mist folks.
June 25, 2020 at 9:03 pm
I live in Vancouver Washington & have 3 Edgeworthias. They do great here, lots of blooms, growing large, 6×6 after 5 years. I purchased 3, two are 6×6 and the third is maybe 4×5, with smaller leaves, must be slightly different cultivars. Love these plant, not much care needed, tho do find the constant yellow leaf drop annoying. Glad to hear it’s normal!
September 12, 2020 at 3:21 am
This 6-to-8-foot mounding shrub is a shrub for all seasons. During the summer its shape and foliage give the impression that it is related to the rhododendron. While you might hate the thought of it being deciduous when the deep-green leaves have fallen the plant will take your breath away with its form and structure adorned with clusters of silver-sheened buds that you will treasure during the months leading up to the beginning of blooms in late winter.
September 13, 2020 at 9:44 am
I am wondering if you, Carolyn, have been able to locate any new ones. I would like to get another. I got my first one from you about 6 or 7 years ago.
September 13, 2020 at 10:21 am
We no longer sell shrubs so I haven’t been looking for edgeworthias. You could try Paxson Hill Farm in New Hope.
September 13, 2020 at 3:11 pm
Thank you, Carolyn. I live near New Hope so that’s ve convenient!
September 13, 2020 at 3:44 pm
If you want to do mail order, all of mine came from here: https://nurcar.com/collections/woodies-e/products/edgeworthia-chrysantha-winter-gold. I am on Cape Cod, but have been a customer of theirs for years.
January 4, 2021 at 11:04 am
Aside from its many attractions for us, I can report that deer have not found it so. A definite plus in our area.
January 4, 2021 at 4:37 pm
Yes, deer don’t eat it here either.
January 16, 2024 at 4:56 pm
Thank you for your terrific article and photos. I have long admired the spring flowers of Edgeworthia from afar, but recently received a transplant from a friend. This is my first winter, and I was concerned by the drooping buds. I now am assured they are dangling winter tassels that promise a sweetly-scented springtime show.