Kolkwitzia amabilis Maradco - Beauty Bush

Kolkwitzia amabilis 'Maradco' is a variety of beauty bush that stands out with its young golden leaves that are very bright in the spring. They serve as a backdrop to the charming tender lilac pink flowers, which are pleasantly scented in warm weather. It is a deciduous, hardy shrub, which grows in most soils and in most climates. This relation of Abelia and honeysuckles should make a good impression in all gardens, in informal hedges or in shrub beds. 

Kolkwitzia 'Maradco' belongs to the botanical family of Caprifoliaceae, just like weigelia and honeysuckles. Its ancestor, Kolkwitzia amabilis, is native to the mountains of central China, where it grows at the edges of forests. 'Maradco' essentially distinguishes itself with its young yellow-tinted leaves and more modest growth. This variety has a very bushy and slightly spreading habit, due to its ability to produce suckers. Over the years, it takes on a very elegant silhouette supported by relaxed stems that gracefully arch under the weight of the flowers at the end of spring. Its fairly rapid growth allows it to reach about 2 m in all directions in 4 to 6 years, depending on growing conditions. This shrub develops numerous vigorous, erect branches that are trailing at the ends. The flowers are in the form of dense corymbs, 5 to 6 cm in diameter, and resemble small elongated bells of 1 to 2 cm in diameter. They are pale pink on the outside, the interior being almost white and speckled with orange-yellow. The flowers are fragrant in warm weather and attract numerous foraging insects. The ovate leaves, 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long, change from yellow to acid green in summer. They appear before flowering and sometimes take on beautiful purple hues in autumn before falling. Older specimens display a beautiful brown bark that peels off. 

Kolkwitzia is an elegant and delicate shrub but its hardiness makes it an interesting subject as a single specimen or in planting beds or informal hedges with Abelias, tamarisks, Cotinus, mock oranges, or even roses. Kolkwitzias are very hardy and do not care about the nature of the soil, their only requirement is to be sheltered from prevailing winds that damage their flowers. Take advantage of all these qualities by choosing with this unique bright 'Maradco' variety. The flowering branches of Kolkvitzia can also create beautiful bouquets.