Kirengeshoma palmata
(Yellow wax bells)
A PERENNIAL REGAINS THE SPOTLIGHT this week, lest you think Loomis Creek has morphed into a “shrub-only” nursery. After all, it’s the marriage of perennials and shrubs (annuals and bulbs, too!) that makes great borders and gardens–the essence of our nursery!
August signals a seasonal change in the Hudson Valley and Kirengeshoma palmata (yellow wax bells) is a premier indicator plant. This late-summer blooming beauty offers exceptional foliage and flowers for shady mixed borders. Sturdy, arching stems clothed with green maplelike leaves on purplish petioles provide accent at the back of borders during June and July. The bonus comes now when dangling clusters of waxy yellow, bell-shaped flowers open from round, peonylike buds.
Kirengeshoma slowly develops a colony of flowering stems rising 4 to 5 feet tall. Plant now or put this perennial on your spring 2010 shopping list.
Native to woodlands in Japan; USDA hardiness zone 5. Protect from hot afternoon sun and shelter from wind. Relishes soils rich in organic matter.
Photo caption: Kirengeshoma palmata with Hosta ‘Abba Dabba Do’ in foreground, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Kyushu’ behind.
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