Paperbush Edgeworthia chrysantha

The Irish botanist Michael Pakenham Edgeworth and his half sister Maria Edgeworth were both honored with the naming of this plant.  Chrysantha refers to its golden yellow flowers.  The common name, Paperbush, comes from its use to produce quality paper. In Japan, the paper is used to make banknotes.

Edgeworthia is a shrub native to China and the Himalayas that provides superb fall and winter interest and a gardenia-like fragrance.  This well-branched, well-formed shrub begins forming its silvery buds in late summer into fall, adding interest to your fall garden.  It begins to bloom in December, when it’s nothing but a bare silhouette in the garden, and continues through the winter.  The individual florets are tiny, but a few dozen make up a 1½- to 2-inch cluster of beautiful yellow flowers.

Edgeworthia thrives in partial shade and appreciates well-enriched, moist soil.  In spring, after the blooms pass, it sports lovely bluish foliage with silvery undertones that are both eye-catching and soothing. The foliage turns a nice yellow in the fall.

This shrub grows in zones 7 to 10, and in protected areas of Zone 6.  It eventually reaches 7 feet high and wide and makes a nice stand-alone specimen or back-of-the-border choice.  Space these plants about 7 feet apart in partial shade and rich, moist soil.  You don’t have to worry about missing the scent of the blooms, but you may want to plant it within reach of passersby because the foliage invites handling.  Be sure to snip a few blooms to keep the house fragrant through the winter.

Maintenance on this plant is minimal, prune in spring or winter to remove diseases or damaged branches. When pruning, keep in mind that blossoms will appear on old growth.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.