Tripterygium hypoglaucum

Tripterygium hypoglaucum, now assimilated to Tripterygium regelii, is a rare Asian bush in cultivation, related to our European spindle tree. Its habit is rather climbing, which requires a support for its reddish stems to rise several metres. It bears large ovate and pointed leaves and a very decorative early summer flowering of large fluffy whitish to cream-yellow panicles. Its winged fruits take on a beautiful red hue in autumn. A perfectly hardy bush, beautifully coloured from spring to autumn, to plant in our cold regions. It will be well highlighted on an arch, a porch, or left free, spreading without restraint in a slightly neglected corner of the garden.

Tripterygium hypoglaucum belongs to the Celastraceae family, native to Korea, Japan, and Manchuria. Slightly suckering, it has a bushy and climbing habit and can reach 2 to 3m (7 to 10ft) in all directions, sometimes up to 5 to 6m (16 to 20ft). Its growth is rapid once well established. Its almost voluble branches are composed of reddish warty stems when young, then reddish-brown, which bear deciduous leaves, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) long, entire, ovate-elliptical, and pointed. The leaves are light green veined with red in spring, dark green on the upper side in summer, and paler underneath. Flowering generally takes place in June-July, in the form of large fluffy panicles up to 25cm (10in) long, with a scent reminiscent of freshly cut hay. Each inflorescence is composed of countless small white-yellowish flowers. The unusual and decorative fruit is a capsule with 3 large papyraceous wings, which are initially green, before turning bright red-pink in autumn.

Tripterygium hypoglaucum can occupy an unused spot in the garden, or in front of a conifer hedge, where it will thrive in the sun or semi-shade as a colourful, slightly disordered mass. But it also allows for a lot of lushness to be brought to a wall, a pergola, or an unsightly small structure, such as a garden shed or tool shed. It represents an interesting alternative to climbing hydrangeas in a sunny area, especially since it is not demanding on the nature of the soil, as long as it remains moist in summer.