Description
Kerria – Japanese Rose –
There is a sole species of deciduous shrub in this genus. Found in thickets and woodland in China and Japan. It has alternate, bright green, roughly diamond shaped leaves with serrated edges up to 2 ½” long. It bears saucer or cup shaped yellow flowers up to 2 ½” across. Kerrias are grown for their foliage and flowers, and are suitable for a shrub border or an open position in a woodland garden.
Grow in fertile, moderately moist, well drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Divide in autumn.
Prone to Coral spot, fireblight, leaf blight, twig blight and canker.
K. japonica – This suckering shrub from the mountains of China and Japan grows 6’ feet tall and 5-8’ feet wide. From arching green shoots it carries ovate, pointed, sharply toothed, bright green leaves, to 4” prominently vein and downy on the undersides. The leaves change to yellow in autumn. In mid and late spring it bears solitary, single or double, golden yellow flowers, 1 ¼-2” across. Branches make delightful cut flowers.
Zones 4-9
