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Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibraltar'

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Kemper Code:  D760

Common Name: bush clover
Zone: 4 to 8
Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Fabaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: None
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Spread: 4 to 10 feet
Bloom Time: August - September   Bloom Data
Bloom Color: Rosy purple
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium


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Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Where is this species invasive in the US?

 
  Uses:       Wildlife:   Flowers:   Leaves:   Fruit:
Hedge Suitable as annual Attracts birds Has showy flowers Leaves colorful Has showy fruit
Shade tree Culinary herb Attracts Has fragrant flowers Leaves fragrant Fruit edible
Street tree Vegetable   hummingbirds Flowers not showy Good fall color   Other:
Flowering tree Water garden plant Attracts Good cut flower Evergreen Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1') Will naturalize   butterflies Good dried flower     Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best in infertile soils. Tolerates some drought. May self-seed. Blooms on new growth. Plants often die to the ground in cold winters. Usually grown as herbaceous perennials by cutting back to the ground in early spring each year.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

This bush clover cultivar is a deciduous shrub or sub-shrub with an arching, fountain-like habit. When cut to the ground in early spring, it will rapidly grow up to 5' tall and 10' wide in a single growing season. Features trifoliate, bluish-green leaves and drooping racemes (to 6" long) of rosy-purple, pea-like flowers which are grouped into large, pendulous flower panicles (up to 2' long). Blooms late summer to early fall. In full bloom, the flower-laden stems arch downward with a fountain-like grace, often to the point of nearly lying on the ground.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses:

Annual growth produces spectacular arching flower stems and late summer bloom for the perennial border or shrub border. Pendulous flowering stems display well when grown on slopes. Effective when massed, but needs lots of room.

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