Other Names:  Shooting Star Bush, Ligustrum quadriloculare

Description:

A beautiful large shrub or small tree covered with pale pink tubular pincushion flowers from late winter to spring; blooms are fragrant; red calyxes accent the dark-blue berries in fall; attracts birds and butterflies; makes a nice patio plant

Ornamental Features

Variegated Starburst Bush features showy clusters of lightly-scented shell pink pincushion flowers with red overtones at the ends of the branches from late winter to late spring. It has attractive buttery yellow-variegated bluish-green foliage with hints of violet. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent purple berries from late summer to late fall. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Variegated Starburst Bush is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded 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 shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Variegated Starburst Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Variegated Starburst Bush will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Variegated Starburst Bush 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.