In this article, we will discuss how to grow the beautiful shrub of Deutzia in containers. Deutzia is a large genus of 60 species of flowering shrub of the Hydrangeaceae (the Hydrangea) family. It is found naturally growing from East Himalayas to Japan and the Philippines. It is also found growing in Central America and Europe.
Deutzias are shrubs that are suitable to be grown in small gardens and hence why they make suitable container species. If you grow them as sole species and it is given enough room, the plant will be covered with small blooms all summer long.
The species are mostly shrubs from 1 to 4m high and most are deciduous. Saying that few subtropical plants are evergreen.
The leaves are nothing to write home about but often are, simple, oval, opposite and have serrated edges. The flowers are the main reason why it is grown. They are bell-shaped and can be white, pink, light red or even pale purple and may be either single or fully double. The flowers are followed by fruits that are capsules which contain numerous small seeds. Differentiating between different species is very difficult often requiring microscopic details of the different hairs on the leaves to tell them apart.
Not a difficult plant to grow as you will find out in this article on how to grow Deutzias in containers. The shorter varieties are the best and will look great in containers.
GROWING DEUTZIAS IN CONTAINERS
First, you will need to find a suitable-sized container that is well-balanced and will suit the plant in question.
No matter what you choose, make sure it has plenty of draining holes at the bottom of it. Fill the bottom of the container with a 2cm layer of gravel and on top of this, add to within 5cm of the top rim with multipurpose compost.
Dig a hole at the centre of the container slightly bigger than the root ball it came in the original pot. Drop the plant in so that the top of the root ball is at the same level as the top surface of the compost. Backfill with the growing media so that the plant is in position and no gaps remain, using more compost if necessary. Firm the plant in and water well.
BEST GROWING CONDITIONS
This is one plant that does well in partial shade, where it will do well as part of a woodland garden.
Water well until the plant is well established and after that water when 5cm below the top surface of the compost feels dry to the touch. Water well until it emerges from the drainage holes.
You can add more compost around the base of the plant in spring and at the same time, you can add a handful of general-purpose, slow-release fertilizer to give enough nutrients to last the growing season.
No pruning is required but if you want to you can prune after flowering, where awkward shoots can be cut back. At the same time, you can remove any old, unproductive wood. You can remove congested growth to encourage new growth by taking out about a quarter of the old stems near to the ground during winter. This lets more light and air into the centre of the plant.
Deutzia can be propagated by taking softwood cuttings in summer or by taking semi-ripe cuttings in autumn of young non-flowering shoots, or by taking hardwood cuttings of woody shoots in the open in late autumn.
PESTS AND DISEASES
The good news is that the plant does not suffer readily from pests and diseases. It is an ideal plant to grow in containers
VARIETIES TO GROW
You are in luck as there are many species, cultivars and varieties that can be grown.
These include Deutzia x rosea which is a compact variety producing pink clusters of pink blooms on arching branches in May. ‘Carminera’ bears carmine-red blooms, ‘Yuki Cherry Blossom’ has light pink cherry-like flowers, ‘Raspberry Sundae’ only grows up to 90cm high and has pink and white flowers.
A popular species is Deutzia scabra which grows up to 2.5m tall and bears large clusters of white blooms in June and July. Varieties to look out for includes ‘Pleno’ and ‘Candidissima’ which produce fully double white blooms.
For a rounder bush, grow Deutzia elegantissima ‘Rosalind’ that has deep pink flowers. Deutzia setchuenensis var. corymbiflora has white flowers and attractive peeling bark. Will grow up to 2m tall.
Deutzia x hybrida ‘Strawberry Fields’, produces soft pink flowers and has a delicate odour, where it will grow up to 2m high. Other varieties include ‘Perle Rose’ and ‘Monte Rose’.
CONCLUSIONS
In this article, we have discovered how to grow the beautiful and delightful shrub of Deutzia in containers. They are easy to grow, easy to care for, general pests and disease-free and have wonderful coloured flowers.
If you have any questions or comments that you wish to make on growing Deutzia in containers, please do so in the comment box below.
Happy Deutzia growing.