The dangling blossoms of Stachyrus praecox appear on bare branches in late February. The Outlaw has a much more floriferous one in his Bloom Day post. It may be because I put mine in the wrong spot and keep cutting it back.
Long lasting, the flowers are hanging on even as the plant begins to leaf out.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get a decent shot of the tiny, pale yellow butterflies with brown markings that arrive with the flowers. There are two of them clinging to the raceme on the left. They flutter about the bush like a cloud, then disappear once the flowers fade.
I don’t know my butterflies, but this orange one, a type I’ve not seen here before, flew in to see what all the fuss was about. I’ll refer you to Backyard Gardener for specifics. I wrote about it once before here while still laboring under the false assumption that I had procured the plant in a photo I’d been carrying around. I later determined that the photo was mislabeled and was really Stachyrus salicifolia. I got one of those last year, but I fear it may have succumbed to our harsh winter. Danger Garden has a favorite to share, as she does every week. Check it out.
The blossoms dangle in such a pretty chain. So delicate. I find yellow blossoms in early spring to be the best.
What a fascinating blooming pattern! And it attracts butterflies! Does it have a pleasant scent, too?
I need one, I just don’t know where to put it. The new area is filling up fast. What a great plant!
I have a Stachyurus salicifolius which I love but the flowers on your Stachyrus praecox appear to be much larger, kind of jealous…
Very unusual…I like it!
A new one on me – how lovely to have something for the butterflies at this time of the year. I hope the other recovers.
Jenni~Around here, spring is the yellow season. Pale shades like this are favorites.
Beth~I have detected no scent. It must be for butterfly noses alone.
Alison~Time for some cramscaping.
Loree~The only reasonable answer is to have both.
Amy~Good! Me too.
Angie~I’m not quite ready to pronounce it dead. If that happens, I will have to get another.
This is a great plant and one of the first things to begin blooming in my garden each winter sans butterflies though. I also have S. salicifolius and while the flowers are nice, the foliage sells it. Just last summer I found a beautiful variegated leafed S. praecox. Once it gets large enough to bloom, we’ll have to see if it has both beautiful foliage and beautiful blooms!
Peter~I was impressed with yours…now looking forward to seeing that variegated one.
I’m not familiar with this at all. Is it a shrub or a vine? The flowers are very interesting. :o)
Tammy~It’s a shrub bordering on becoming a tree. Thanks for joining the conversation.