With their brilliant white flowers, the Deutzia not only impress visually, but are also very popular with insects because of their nectar and pollen. The many attractive Deutzia varieties are also easy to care for .
The Deutzia (Deutzia) is particularly striking thanks to its large number of flowers. Due to the shape of the flower and the flowering time, it is also called a star bush or May flower bush. The Deutzia is often used in hedges as it is both decorative and robust and easy to care for.
Deutzie: heyday, origin and characteristics
The Deutzia (Deutzia) is an ornamental plant that is often cultivated as a shrub. The hydrangea (Hydrangeae) originally comes from East Asia and is native to the Himalayas and the Philippines. A few species have their origins in Mexico. There are about 50 wild species in total. Of these naturally occurring species, only the Deutzia gracilis - also called Petite Deutzia - found its way to Europe. Most other garden Deutzia are predominantly cross cultivars, many of which derive from the work of French breeder Lemoine.
The Deutzia has its flowering period from May to June and then it cannot be overlooked with its countless star-shaped flowers in white or pink. The flowers are in long panicles, racemes or umbrella panicles. The Deutzia is also bee-friendly: with its magnificent flowers, it is popular with bees, bumblebees and other wild bee species as it offers them a lot of food.
Deutzien can grow between 0.8 and 4 meters tall, depending on the variety. The contrasting, rich green leaves are ovate, tapering and toothed. The brown capsule fruits are rather inconspicuous and usually stay on the branches until next spring.
Most Deutzia look very similar and there is also only one for the mock orange tree (Philadelphus). minor distinguishing features. However, all Deutzia have shoots that are hollow inside, while the shoots of the mock orange contain white pith.
Tip: There are also filled Deutzia such as the rough Deutzia (Deutziascabra 'Plena'). These are not bee-friendly, as the pollen and nectar-giving sex organs have been transformed into additional, decorative petals.
The most beautiful Deutzian varieties and species
There is a large number of beautiful Deutzia varieties, so that there is a suitable specimen for almost every garden.
- Delicate Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis): The best known Deutzia is one of the dwarf varieties and with its 70 - 90 cm also fits in smaller ones gardens or as a container plant on the balcony. It has innumerable small, pure white flowers.
- High May Flower Bush (Deutzia x magnifica): Also called High Starlet Bush and can grow up to up to 4 m in height and about 2 m wide when free-standing. It grows fast and makes an excellent hedge plant.
- Strawberry-scented Deutzia (Deutzia hybrida 'Strawberry Field'): This variety has pink flowers that emit a slightly sweet strawberry scent. The strawberry-scented Deutzia is an early bloomer, as it blooms from April to May.
- Rough Deutzia (Deutzia scabra 'Plena'): This Deutzia is also called double star bush. It is a popular ornamental plant solitary and in mixed hedges. Its double flowers look very magnificent and voluminous.
- Kalmiedeutzie (Deutzia x kalmiiflora): This species reaches heights of 150 cm and convinces with a profuse display of white-pink flowers that appear in June.
- Deutzie 'Tourbillon Rouge' (Deutzia x magnifica 'Tourbillon Rouge'): This is a variety of the tall star bush . It grows to about 3 meters tall and has deep pink flowers.
Planting Deutzie: This is important to note
Planting a Deutzia is easy:
- Place the root ball in a bucket of water
- Dig a planting hole about 1.5 times the size of the root ball
- Improve excavation with potting soil, for example with our Plantura organic universal soil
- Fill gaps with excavationand step firmly
- Model the watering edge and distribute the mulch layer
- Water well
The ideal time to plant a Deutzia is in September and October, as the warmed-up soil offers the best conditions for rooting. Depending on the variety, an appropriate distance to other plants must be maintained. Deutzia like wind-protected locations in the sun or in partial shade. The soil should be loose, humic, nutritious and slightly sandy. If the soil is very sandy or clayey, the soil should be mixed with high-quality substrate and thus upgraded. Our Plantura organic universal soil, for example, is suitable for this, as it can store water but does not get waterlogged. It also provides the Deutzia with important nutrients and improves the soil properties in the long term.
When planting a Deutzia hedge, it is particularly important to keep to the planting distance. This varies from variety to variety and is 30 cm for dwarf varieties such as Deutzia gracilis. The tall mayflower bush needs a distance of 50 cm and the very spreading Deutzia scabra even 100 cm.
Tip: Deutzia in pots
Small Deutziavarieties like Deutzia gracilis , Deutzia x kalmiiflora or Deutzia x rosea can Also plant them in a sufficiently large container of at least 50 liters volume. To avoid waterlogging, place clay discs as drainage between the substrate and the planter. Here, our Plantura organic universal soil offers the best conditions for lush growth.
The most important care measures
As a rule, Deutzia do not require demanding care. It is also not very demanding in terms of location and nutrient content. Rigorous pruning is required every two years to ensure consistently profuse flowering.
Watering and fertilizing the mayflower bush
Since Deutzia are very robust and undemanding, they only need to be watered when the soil cannot hold the water well. If it is hot for a long time in summer and the soil feels dry, you can water the Deutzia seldom but extensively. The plant also signals a lack of water by drooping leaves. If the Deutzia grows in nutrient-poor soil, it should be treated once in spring with a long-term fertilizer, such as oursPlantura organic universal fertilizer. Its balanced nutrient composition ensures he althy growth and supplies the Deutzia for at least three months. The high proportion of organic ingredients also promotes the activity of important soil organisms. Alternatively, a mixture of compost and horn shavings can be used.
cut Deutzie
You should prune the Deutzia about every two years. You can be generous here, because the Deutzia will then sprout all the more splendidly. The rejuvenation cut is particularly important as the Deutzia are not long-lived and also age quickly. Here the old wood is removed. You should cut off all old shoots as close to the ground as possible so that many new young shoots can be formed. The pruning can be done either after flowering or in spring or late winter. Although some buds are removed by pruning in spring, the Deutzia sprout more vigorously than after pruning in summer.
Tip: To encourage the Deutzia to bloom again in autumn, you can shorten the faded shoots above the buds by about a third in June and July.
Increase Deutzie
In order to propagate the Deutzia, the propagation of cuttings with half-ripe shoots in late spring and early summer is particularly suitable. For this you can cut about 8 cm long, green or slightly woody shoots with two leaf nodes (nodes). Once you have removed the lower leaves, put the shoot in nutrient-poor potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil. It contains no peat and is precisely tailored to the needs of young plants. Due to the low nutrient content, the small plants are encouraged to develop roots. Always keep the soil moist to allow roots to develop over the next 4 to 6 weeks. Make sure that the pot is not in direct sunlight, but is still bright.
Deuttia can also be increased by sinkers. To do this, use one of the lower shoots of the mother plant and fix it in the ground. It is best to pile up some more soil on the spot you have set down so that many roots can form in the soil. After some time, the rooted shoot should be severed from its mother plant. This creates an independent plant that develops exactly the same properties as the mother plant. When planting in spring it isIt is important that no Deutzie has stood on the spot before, as they are incompatible with themselves. It usually takes a year for an independent plant to develop.
Overwintering Deutzie
Deutzia are hardy and do not need winter protection. However, this does not apply to cuttings and potted plants. They need winter protection. To do this, you should wrap the planters twice with insulating materials such as foil, fleece, jute or coconut fiber. Then overwinter the cuttings in a cool and bright, but frost-free place.
Are Deutzia poisonous?
Deutzia are not poisonous, but completely harmless for adults and children. The leaves, flowers and shoots contain no toxins, so you don't have to worry about your pets either.
Deutzia beautify hedges with their decorative flowers. But there are other plants that can be used as flowering hedges. We present twelve suitable and hardy plants.