Species bush clover
purple, pea-shaped, small flowers with dark-purple tints, and smooth, pale-green, small leaves with red-green stem

bush clover

Lespedeza thunbergii 'Samidare'

Bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Samidare') is an ornamental deciduous shrub that grows up to 4 feet tall and wide. It produces small clusters of pink flowers from midsummer to fall and its leaves turn yellow in autumn. This plant is easy to grow and relatively drought tolerant. It can be grown in full sun or partially shaded areas in USDA Hardiness Zones 5–9. Its foliage is dense and compact making it a great choice for borders, containers, edgings, and foundation plantings. In addition, bush clover is a great plant for attracting birds, bees, and butterflies.

Cycle:

Perennial

Watering:

Average

Propagation:

Seed Propagation,Cutting,Division,Layering Propagation

Hardiness Zone:

4 - 8

Flowers:

Pink Flowers

Sun:

Full sun,part shade

Leaf:

Yes

Growth Rate:

Moderate

Maintenance:

Moderate

Salt Tolerant:

Yes

Thorny:

Yes

Care Level:

Medium

watering

Bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Samidare') should be watered once a week during the summer months; however, in the winter it should only be watered every 2 to 3 weeks. When watering, be sure to thoroughly soak the soil in order to get water to the roots. Additionally, the plants should be mulched to help conserve moisture.

sunlight

Bush Clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Samidare') grows best in an area that receives full sunlight for the majority of the day. It prefers at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, with more being better; however, during hot summer days, some partial shade will help keep the plant from drying out completely. During winter months, the bush clover should receive at least 4 hours of sunlight each day to remain healthy.

pruning

Bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Samidare') is easily pruned when needed. Pruning should be done twice a year from late spring to early summer and then again from late summer to fall in order to keep the plant looking its best. For the most part, only dead or damaged branches should be pruned to maintain size and shape. When pruning, cuts should be made just above the nodes or leaf axils. This encourages the bush clover to produce additional stems and keep its desired shape. Avoid cutting off the branch tips. Doing so may cause the entire branch to die. In addition, avoid hard pruning as this can cause the bush clover to become overcrowded.

Season

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Starts Flowering

Bush clover typically starts flowering in July.

Hardiness Map