Plant Guide

Other Names:  Clerodendron, Siphonanthus, Peanut Butter Shrub

Description:

A beautiful small tree covered with white to soft pink tubular jasmine-like flowers in late summer; blooms are fragrant; red calyxes accent the dark-blue berries in fall; attracts birds and butterflies; makes a nice patio plant

Ornamental Features

Harlequin Glorybower is blanketed in stunning clusters of fragrant shell pink trumpet-shaped flowers with red overtones along the branches from late summer to early fall. It features an abundance of magnificent blue berries from early to late fall. It has green deciduous foliage. The oval leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Harlequin Glorybower is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Harlequin Glorybower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Harlequin Glorybower will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Harlequin Glorybower is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.