Linnaea amabilis
Beautybush
Common names: Kolkwitzia
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Jun–Jul
- Flowering
- May–Jun
Photo: KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Linnaea amabilis, commonly known as beautybush, is a summer‑green shrub that typically reaches 2 to 3 m in height and width. Its branches form an elegant, arching, pendulous habit over the years. In mid‑May to week 24, it produces abundant clusters of pink bell‑shaped flowers that densely cover the drooping branches. The foliage turns warm yellow in autumn, and the slightly barky trunk retains a textured appearance even in winter. Bees and bumblebees are attracted to the blooms, making the plant valuable for naturalistic gardens.
Care instructions
Plant in a sunny to partially shaded spot on well‑drained, nutrient‑rich soil, preferably in autumn or early spring. Water regularly during the first two years; thereafter it tolerates normal rainfall. After flowering in June, cut back older, faded shoots to ground level to keep the shrub open and encourage blooming on the previous year’s wood. Apply a mulch layer of leaf or bark humus to retain summer moisture and suppress competing vegetation. The ‘Pink Cloud’ variety is especially floriferous and works well as a backdrop for lower‑growing perennials.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMay–Jun
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, lime-loving
The beautybush likes loose, humus-rich garden soil with good drainage and also tolerates chalky soils well. You should avoid waterlogging, especially in winter. A moderately nutrient-rich site is entirely enough; soil that is too rich makes it more inclined to put out shoots than flowers.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar
A thin layer of mature compost around the root zone in early spring is entirely enough for the beautybush. Skip extra feeding during the season, otherwise it grows strongly into wood instead of flowers. A mulch layer of leaves or bark humus retains moisture and feeds the soil with nutrients on the side.
Pruning
Prune the beautybush straight after flowering in early summer, so it has enough time to form new shoots for next year's flowers. Remove older, bare branches close to the ground and thin the inside lightly so that light and air reach the young shoots. A drastic cut in winter costs you the following year's flowers, so it is better to thin moderately every year than to cut hard only rarely.
Overwintering
The beautybush is well hardy in Central Europe and, as an established shrub, needs no special protection. Young plants in their first year in place appreciate a mulch layer of leaves over the root zone. In particularly exposed positions, a loose cover of horticultural fleece can protect young shoots from late frosts.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
- From seed
The most reliable way to propagate the beautybush is by tip cuttings, which you take straight after flowering in early summer. Keep the cuttings evenly moist in free-draining seed compost and sheltered from strong sun until they have formed new roots. Layering also works well: lightly score a shoot close to the ground, cover it with soil and weigh it down until it shows roots of its own. Sowing is possible, but it takes much longer until the first flowers.
For your garden
Grow Beautybush yourself
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