Home Garden & Home Plants Leycesteria ‘Little Lanterns’ | Plant Profile

Leycesteria ‘Little Lanterns’ | Plant Profile

Leycesteria formosa ‘Little Lanterns’ is a striking new compact variety of Leycesteria, originally intended to make its debut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020. It is perfect for the smaller garden and earns its space thanks to the bright foliage colours which leap out at you and a long season of interest, covering almost 10 months of the year. In spring it offers lime coloured growth and red shoots, in mid summer bright golden yellow foliage and pendant racemes of white flowers then in autumn deep purple almost black ornamental berries.

This new variety was originally selected as a seedling by Hillier Head of Wholesale Nurseries, Charles Carr. This seedling stood out as being more freely branching than other varieties of Leycesteria, with deep golden foliage and a strong red colouration to the growing tips producing a particularly attractive, dense shrub which stood up well in gardens and container trials.

This easy to grow plant thrives in most soils in full sun to light shade (although the colour is strongest in full sun), positioned in a border or a large patio pot. Leycesteria formosa ‘Little Lanterns’ is fully hardy in the UK. You may notice that it some damage from cold winter winds, but it will then re-shoot from the base.

Fact File

*Sun Requirements*	Full sun to light shade (the deeper the shade, the more lime the colouration of the foliage)
*Soil*	Well drained soil
*Hardiness*	Fully hardy in the UK
*Size*	Grows to approx. 1.25m height x 1.25m spread
*Flowering time*	June to September

Growing Guide

Planting

Position in a sunny or lightly shaded spot in the border, or in a large pot in any well-drained soil. You should avoid planting in soil that gets very wet.

Watering

Add plenty of organic matter and water well after planting, ensuring to keep the soil moist whilst avoiding it from getting water logged.

Pruning

If you would like to create a more compact shrub, cut it back to 30cm in March (known as ‘stooling’). This will delay flowering by about four weeks, but also means the plant will produce very strong bright new shoots.

Planting Ideas

Grow Leycesteria ‘Little Lanterns’ in a mixed border, as a stand alone feature shrub or in a large patio container.

Leycesteria formosa ‘Little Lanterns’ Fact

The Leycesteria genus is made up of a number of deciduous shrubs. Leycesteria formosa, also known as Himalayan honeysuckle, was named in the 1830s by the director of the Calcutta Botanic Garden on honour of his friend, William Leycester.