Melianthus villosus
Honey bush, Turkey bush, Soft haired honey bush
- Height × spread
- 1.5m × 1.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This hearty and beautiful herbaceous plant makes a mound of foliage that is bell, rather than dome shaped. The plants have large leaves with serrated edges, coloured a soft light green shade. The leaves are pinnate and held in somewhat horizontal sprays with pendulous leaflets. A mature plant is of striking effect and highly architectural. The foliage is aromatic. It has long slender columns of flowers. They soar above the foliage. They are held on red stems and appear beige coloured. This will take a degree or two of frost but is not reliably hardy. It can be cut hard back in autumn before frosts arrive and protected with mulch.
- Flower colour
- Beige, Brown
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 1.5m
- Spread
- 1.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Gravel garden, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Wall cover
- Walls
- South, West facing
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn - late · Outdoors
Apply a protective mulch
Protect the crown of the plant in winter in areas that are prone to frost and cold. For short term protection a fleece can be used, otherwise fill mesh sacks with masses of straw and secure them over the plant's crown.
The 'traditional method' is to put wire or other netting over the plant, layer plenty of straw on top of this and then secure the whole with more netting.
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early · Planting
Remove suckers
Remove any suckers that have appeared round the base of the plant. They can often be pulled up, but it may be necessary to use secateurs or loppers to detach them from the parent plant.
Summer
Summer-Autumn · Planting
Prune lightly after flowering
Give the plant a light haircut, generally tidying it up and removing any shoots that are wayward or damaged in any way. Dead flowers can be cut off if this is practical - the shrub may have too many, or they may be hard to reach.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.