Stewartia rostrata

Fragrant stewartia comes from South China (not to be confused with stewartia sinensis) and, as the name suggests, bears profusion of mildly fragrant flowers. Do not expect lilac's strength of perfume, just a faint, rose-like aroma. Flowers open from purple red buds, they are open wide, 5-6 cm across, 5-petalled, pure white on 4 petals and decorated with a pink blotch on the fifth one. This is a tell for fragrant stewartia, no other stewartia does it. Flowers are followed by rounded seed pods with something that looks like a beak, hence its Latin name rostrata (beak-bearing).

Deciduous leaves are broadly ovate or elliptic, dark green with red margins in summer, and overall bright red, pink, purple and a little bit orange in autumn. New twigs are red, too. The plant forms spreading shrubs with expected garden size of about 4m in our climate. Pruning can be done in early spring.

Naturally it occurs at river streams and under canopies of tall trees as it prefers partial shade or filtered sunlight, and humid air. It needs light, peat-based soil with plenty of humus, always moist, never wet or compacted. Since it is difficult to transplant find it the best spot in your garden where it will linger forever and ever. If you have a small plant and have not decided where to grow it yet transplant it to a larger container only every year until you find the perfect location. It is fully hardy to at least -24°C (USDA zone 6) but plants with mature wood withstand short spells of stronger frost, yet we do not recommend it to colder regions and exposed locations (frost pockets, mountainous resorts, or open fields).

Last update 08-03-2018