Description:

An interesting large shrub or small tree with lovely nodding pink flowers in spring and unique bladder-like fruit in the fall, coveted for dried floral arrangements; great in a shrub border, or as a screen

Ornamental Features

Rosea Chinese Bladdernut is draped in stunning nodding shell pink bell-shaped flowers hanging below the branches in mid spring. It has green deciduous foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The oval compound leaves turn lemon yellow in fall. It produces pink capsules in early fall. The smooth grayish green bark and light green branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Rosea Chinese Bladdernut is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded 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 is a high maintenance shrub that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Rosea Chinese Bladdernut is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Rosea Chinese Bladdernut will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Rosea Chinese Bladdernut makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use 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.