Grown for its buttercup yellow blossoms strung along Kelly green cascading stems, Kerria japonica, the Japanese yellow rose or Easter rose, lights up the mid-spring garden in U.S. hardiness zones 4-9. The shrub is a native of temperate areas of Japan and China. Easter refers to its season of bloom in the southern United States.
Shady Companions
Kerria is one of a few flowering shrubs preferring a shady habitat. The shrub blends nicely with azaleas, rhododendrons, ferns and small trees such as dogwood and redbud. The sunburst yellow flowers explode against the white flowers of daphnes, azaleas, snowdrops, and hellebores.
Cultivars
Kerria is in the rose family but it is not a rose. It stands alone in its genus. Kerria ‘Pleniflora’ has a double-flower. Five-petaled singled flowered cultivars include ‘Picta,’ ‘Honshu,’ ‘Kin Kan,’ ‘Golden Guinea,’ ‘Albescens,’ ‘Superba’ and ‘Shannon.’
The hardy deciduous shrub was named for William Kerr, British horticulturistfrom the 1800s, who also introduced the Lady Banks rose and nandina to our gardens.
Landscape Uses
Kerria matures to a height of 5 to 8 feet with a spread of 6-9 feet. The shrub can stand alone as an accent plant or along fence lines or borders where it provides a wall of green if planted en masse. Landscapers suggest surrounding kerria with other carefree deciduous shrubs like bridal wreath spirea, lilac, beautyberry and rose of Sharon.
The mounding growth habit is attractive year round. Although April and May are prime months for blossoming, kerria often displays blooms on and off during the summer. In summer the long double serrated foliage provides drifts of green as the backdrop for flower beds. The green foliage turns yellow in autumn. From autumn to spring the bright green arching stems add interest in the outdoor landscape or indoors as linear elements in floral arrangements. Both the bare and flowered stems are popular in ikebana.
Kerria is a low maintenance shrub. Skimp on fertilization or it becomes weedy. For a fuller shrub with more flowering, some gardeners prune stems to the ground every few years. The shrub is disease and pest free and deer resistant. Kerria has adapted well to drought conditions.
Propagation
As an old-fashioned cottage garden plant, kerria was easily passed along to friends and neighbors by stem cuttings or by dividing the rootball. The plant can be propagated by simple layering too.
More attention needs to be given to this dependable and easy to grow shade-loving shrub.
 |
 |
