Other Names:  Lespedeza liukiuensis

Description:

This compact shrub is covered with lavender-pink, pea-like flowers on arching, weeping branches in late summer to early fall; dark green trifoliate leaves turn yellow-gold in fall; an attractive, non-invasive cultivar that produces no seed

Ornamental Features

Little Volcano Bush Clover is smothered in stunning racemes of pink pea-like flowers with lavender overtones at the ends of the branches from late summer to early fall. It has attractive dark green deciduous foliage. The oval compound leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of yellow and in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Little Volcano Bush Clover is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. 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 relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Little Volcano Bush Clover is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Little Volcano Bush Clover will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Little Volcano Bush Clover 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.