Leucothoe keiskei 'Opstal50' BURNING LOVE^®

Leucothoe genus is a relatively new group of plants in Central Europe, and gains more and more attention and admirers, including me. They are low or prostrate evergreen shrubs with leathery leaves and usually excellent hardiness. Dutch breeder Ron van Opstal from Zundert has already selected a few evergreen plants including leucothoe, and BURNING LOVE^® is a trade name for his 2013 introduction that is protected by European Breeders Rights under No. 20131363.

BURNING LOVE^® leucothoe is a keiskei species i.e. it makes narrowly lanceolate leaves with a conspicuous tip. They are evergreen, leathery, very glossy, and change colours from crimson red when they emerge to dark green when mature, and dark burgundy red from autumn till spring, when they revert back to green. The habit is very uniform and compact as opposed to the older keiskei variety Royal Ruby. The foliage may resemble rhododendron Graziella. Pruning is usually not needed but can be done in early spring.

Leucothoe grows naturally in woodlands under trees which means that it is used to anything from filtered sun to deep shade. However, in our tests it proved to live happily in full sun, too, if given sufficient moisture.

As an ericaceous plant it requires soil that is light, acidic, and constantly moist (not wet). If your garden soil is too heavy do not dig a deep hole but make a shallow and wide bed topped up with a good mixture of peat, fine bark chips, and leaf (forest) litter. Keep the soil moist by mulching. Slow-release fertilizers are advised. Very hardy to about -27°C (USDA zone 5b) and suitable for outdoor pots.

Last update 22-01-2014