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Fetterbush ( Shiny Lyonia , Leucothoe fontanesiana ) is a lovely evergreen plant shrub , indigenous to the United States . This plant offers beautiful evergreen foliage in a mixed bag of shades as well as a capital flowered display of fragrant livid flowers .
What is a Fetterbush Plant?
Fetterbush plant is a aboriginal evergreen plant shrub of the southeasterly United States . It ’s named Fetterbush because of the direction its growth wont can circumscribe or fetter the movement of mankind or animate being .
savage soma of this flora are of course diffuse from Virginia to Georgia and Alabama . It grows in dry environment but is most commonly seen in wet area , peculiarly flood habitats .
This plant grow 5 to 10 feet ( 1.5 to 3 m ) in height and is more often than not encompassing than it is magniloquent . Fetterbush has graceful , loll branches and turn from a horizontal belowground rhizome . If allow , the plant will spread by suckering . ( 1 )
Fetter-bush photo by Photo by David J. Stang – source: David Stang. First published at ZipcodeZoo.com, CC BY-SA 4.0
Each leaf has a bombastic vena encircle it just inside the leaf allowance , and a distinct rooftree come about on the bottom side of the leafage border . mountain andromeda leaves are minute to broadly speaking ovate ( ballock - work ) and evaluate about 1 to 6 inches ( 3 to 15 atomic number 96 ) in duration and roughly ½ to 2 inch ( 1 to 6 centimeter ) wide . ( 1 )
Fruits appear from September to October but are not an ornamental feature of this plant .
Leucothoe fontanesiana , from the Ericaceae family ( Heath family ) , has several coarse name , including mountain andromeda , drooping fetterbush , mountain pawl - laurel , mickle doghobble , droop leucothoe , and transposition - ivy .
Many plants of the genusLeucothoe , Lyonia , andPierisare unremarkably refer to as fetterbushes , so be certain of the species of your plant before buy as their appearances and requisite may differ .
It is important to note thatL. fontanesianais experience to be extremely toxic if ingested . The folio and flowers of these plants contain toxins that may result in severe symptom and even death in some showcase if eat .
Fetterbush Flowers
Fetterbush blossom typically bloom in clusters or racemes , showcasing a range of color admit white , pinkish , or shades of red . These blossoms often appear in early leaping to summer , creating a visually pleasing display .
The flowered clustering can be nodding , adding a refined and elegant timber to the shrub . These showy flowers attract bees and other pollinator , heighten their ecological economic value , and the combination of vibrant foliage and these enrapture heyday makes fetterbush a pop pick for garden and landscapes .
Fetterbush Cultivars
There are a number of cultivated variety ofLeucothoe fontanesianaavailable in the horticultural trade . These plants more often than not do not attain the maximum potential size of tempestuous case specimens and make for very attractive and achievable garden plants .
Some of the more popular cultivar are listed and report below :
Mary Elizabeth
‘ Mary Elizabeth ’ is a slow - growing and compact form with fine farewell .
Scarletta
‘ Scarletta ’ is well - recognize for its abstruse scarlet - colored young foliage . fledged leaves become shining green in summer and then bronze to purple in the fall and wintertime , depending on how much Dominicus they find .
‘ Scarletta ’ is a compact mixed bag that grows to about 5 ft ( 1.5 m ) magniloquent and 5 foot ( 1.5 megabyte ) wide .
Girard’s Rainbow
‘ Girard ’s Rainbow ’ grows to about 3 ft ( 0.9 m ) improbable and 4 ft ( 1.2 m ) wide . This cultivar is famed for its multitude of leafage colour , from various refinement of greenish to reds , coppers , garden pink , and bloodless .
Silver Run
‘ Silver discharge ’ is a variegated cultivar that is harder than Girard ’s rainbow but with more modified coloration .
Nana
‘ Nana ’ , meaning small , grows to a maximum of around 3 ft in height and 6 ft in width . This cultivate variety has a dense growth shape and dark light-green foliage which release red to bronze or purple in winter .
How to Grow a Fetterbush
The fetterbush has a prospicient account in the horticultural human race with the first phonograph recording of aLeucothoein a collection being from the yr 1789 . ( 1 )
This easy - growing flora command acidulent dirt and does well in moist , nerveless areas . This industrial plant does not relish wordy and drought condition and should therefore be sheltered and kept moist for best results .
These bell shaped blossom expand in partial shade . Sufficient verbatim sun stimulates the wonderful array of leaf gloss this plant is so well known for , although , erythema solare may be an issue if exposed for too long .
Fetterbush can be grow from seeded player or root cuttings , treated with a internal secretion powder . This industrial plant does in force in USDA flora hardiness zones 4 to 6 and RHS hardiness geographical zone h6 .
As stated , acidulent stain with a pH of less than 6 are need for your fetterbush to fly high . If you do n’t be in an area with course acid soils , it may be necessary to lower the pH of the substrate your Pieris floribunda will be planted in .
Products such as acidifying fertilizers can be used for this determination , provided specific instructions on dose and program are followed .
Care and Maintenance
While fetterbush is broadly speaking a low maintenance flora , it does require safe air circulation and enough sun , in particular in humid environments , to prevent folio spot .
Too much sunlight , however , may ensue in sunburn of the leaves . Therefore , constitute in an appropriate location is important to prevent unnecessary treatments and upkeep further down the line .
This plant has fair lachrymation requisite and does prefer a moist substrate . It is specially important to hold a moist farm spiritualist where plants are grown in warm climates or full sun locations .
Pruning is not a necessity , although these plant are comfortably capable to hold lop down to around 1 ½ foot ( 45 cm ) , which may serve to regenerate the specimen .
Pruning may also be useful to create a more compact and tidy look for industrial plant arise in deep shade .
Landscaping with Fetterbush
The low increase form of fetterbush makes it an ideal primer - cover and a peachy plant for hiding the stand and stems of tall flora and bush behind it .
It make an ideal moulding plant life and is great in a nature garden where it will provide tax shelter and appeal a variety of wildlife , while not being attractive to cervid and other browsers .
Although not palatable , the poisonous nature of the plant should be considered when planting this species in areas haunt by animate being or young shaver .
More colorful diversity such as Girard ’s Rainbow make ok specimen plants .
FAQs
What is the scientific name for fetterbush plant ?
The scientific name for the fetterbush industrial plant is Leucothoe spp . , with various specie falling under this genus , including Leucothoe racemosa and Leucothoe fontanesiana .
What are the leave of absence of fetterbush ?
The leaves of the fetterbush are typically alternate , simple , and lance - shaped , with a glossy light-green visual aspect . They may exhibit variation in size and shape depending on the specific species and cultivar .
For more bushes to farm , check ourlist of common bushes .
References
Reference List :
( 1 ) Judd , W. S. , Kron , K. A. , Melvin , N. C. & Waselkov , K. A Taxonomic Revision of Leucothoe ( Ericaceae ; Tribe Gaultherieae)https://www.researchgate.net / publication/257776373_A_taxonomic_revision_of_Leucothoe_Ericaceae_Tribe_Gaultherieae
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