Kolkwitzia amabilis ‘Pink Cloud’
Plant of the month: May
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The Kolkwitzia amabilis ‘Pink Cloud’ Beauty Bush is a member of the family Caprifoliaceae and can be seen on the Wilson Walk, on the edge of the Fern Walk and in the Rock Garden.
Introduced by EH Wilson in 1901 this lovely shrub is graceful, hardy and deserving a place in any garden. It is smothered in pink flowers with a yellow throat for May and June, although this year it has been slower to open in comparison to other years. The flowers are about 12mm across.
Kolkwitzia are deciduous, suckering shrubs from mountainous areas of China. They grow best in fertile, well drained soil in full sun and can be pruned after flowering by cutting back flowering shoots to strong buds. On mature plants cut back a quarter of old shoots to the ground to gradually rejuvenate the whole shrub.