Summary
Drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana) adds elegance to the shade garden with a graceful, cascading habit and glossy dark green leaves. This 3-5’ tall evergreen shrub blooms in spring with small white, urn-shaped flowers borne on drooping racemes that are somewhat obstructed by the foliage. Drooping leucothoe thrives in average to moist, acidic soils and does best in a sheltered location with at least filtered shade. In consistently moist soils it can tolerate full sun. It can be used in a shrub border, as a spacer plant with taller plants, or as a colorful element in a dormant landscape. In winter, its leaves can develop a rich burgundy color. Good companions for drooping leucothoe include foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum), Jacob’s-ladder (Polemonium reptans), and woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata). Zones 5-8.
More Details
- Plant Type
shrub - Sun/Shade Conditions
filtered-to-partial-shade - Foliage Character
evergreen - Soil Moisture
average-to-moist - Flowering Period
mid-spring - Soil PH
acidic - Flower Color
white - Summer Foliage Color
green - Other Scientific Names
Leucothoe axillaris var. editorum, Leucothoe catesbaei, Leucothoe editorum
- Fall Foliage Color
green - Other Common Names
dog hobble, drooping laurel, Highland doghobble - Fruit/Seed Color
brown
Additional Information
Floridata, Missouri Botanical Garden, Flora of North America, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center