My kerria has a gazillion blooms on it right now. Click photo to enlarge.
This hardy, fast-growing deciduous shrub, Kerria japonica, is about 8 feet tall right now, with arching bright green stems and sharply serrated leaves. The double-flowered blooms are so heavy that the stems arch to the ground, and I usually prune it back severely every year after the first heavy bloom. This shrub will rebloom often from now right up until frost late this fall. They are very easy to grow, even in rocky soil, and while this one is in full sun, I know that they will also do well in shade.
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Sherry, I’m not familiar with “Kerria”. It’s lovely! Thanks for the tip. I think we could use one on the back of our property that’s so barren.
Lilacs. None in bloom here, yet. I burn a lilac scented candle instead.
Hi Mary,
Kerria is also known as “Japanese Yellow Rose”. It grows well even in deep shade. These shrubs will spread a little and get very wide and arching — one would do very well to fill a barren spot.
Well, I guess a lilac scented candle is the next best thing! lol
You have the real thing to look forward to though. (I love the lilac scented candles too) :)
amazing how many flowers this has!!
Leeann, it does have a ton of flowers! It’s so heavy with them that it arches to the ground.
[...] is about 8 feet tall right now, with arching bright green stems and sharply serrated leaves. http://terra4incognita.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/kerria/ advice for the garden What to do this week to keep your garden in shape. Advice [...]
Hi Sherry,
My question is, if you cut it back after it blooms, however, it blooms up until the fall, does that mean you prune right after the spring season and the new growth blooms up until the fall? I thought it only bloomed on old wood. Yours is so gorgeous, I can’t picture cutting it back after all those beautiful blooms! Maybe that’s why it’s so beautiful. I live in South Jersey, am I in a different zone than you?
I have one in a large pot and it is doing very poorly — has not bloomed in quite awhile. I want to plant it out back, but am not sure of the exposure. Right now it gets sun and shade. One site I visited said shade, one said full sun. Obviously yours does great in full sun. What do you think? Also, I read they don’t like fertilizer, but I think mine is in need of something. I put some Miracle Grow on it and it seemed to turn yellow. Then I read they turn yellow in the fall. I think it was August when I fertilized it and thought I killed it. It’s back this year but still looks very sad and no blooms. HELP!
Mary Beth
Hi Mary Beth,
The only time I prune mine is right after blooming, taking out at least half of the outer growth. It still blooms sporadically throughout the summer. It grows rampantly once it’s established, and suckers galore. I have to prune it or it would take over the entire area! lol :)
I’m not sure about your zone.. I’m in Zone 7. Mine gets pretty intense sunlight all day where it’s at, and doesn’t seem to bother it at all. I think it will bloom more with the more sun it gets. I don’t fertilize it, in fact I don’t do anything at all to this shrub except cut it back every year, and sometimes dig out some of the sucker growth to control it’s spread or to give away.
These shrubs are supposed to be hardy to zone 4, so I think it will do fine planted out in full sun in your area. Water it until it gets established and then I think it will take off in growth. (you may have to water it pretty often the first couple of months, depending on how hot it is in your area.) Or, you could always wait til fall to plant it, after the weather cools down a little. Then, don’t prune it for a year or two, allow it to get as big as you want it to be.
Good luck with yours, hope it thrives.
-Sherry