Bush clover
Lespedeza thunbergii · Fabaceae
A fountain of long, arching stems that weep to the ground under the weight of rosy-purple pea flowers in early autumn.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late August to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around bush clover
The planner designed this bed around bush clover when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why bush clover stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bush clover × 1, purple
- 2 Cottage pinks × 13, pink
- 3 Striped bloody cranesbill × 5, pink
- 4 Golden Japanese euonymus × 1, variegated leaves
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 6 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 3, tan
- 7 Speedwell 'Royal Candles' × 9, blue
- 8 Winter heath × 8, white
- 9 Chives × 17, purple
- 10 Coneflower 'Green Jewel' × 8, green
- 11 Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' × 5, blue
- 12 Coneflower 'Magnus' × 3, pink
- 13 Sicilian honey garlic × 7, cream
- 14 Spring starflower × 17, blue
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to coneflower 'Magnus' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late August to early October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With striped bloody cranesbill, switchgrass 'Prairie Sky', speedwell 'Royal Candles' and others in late August: 6 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 59 of the 77 plants (77%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Early colour comes from bulbs planted between the other plants: spring starflower. The most in flower at one time is 6 kinds, in late August.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bush clover goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It needs a place where the stems can weep freely: the top of a wall or a bank. Cut it to the ground each spring, like a perennial.
- A cascade of colour in autumn
- Spilling over a wall or bank
- Dry, poor soil
What to plant with bush clover
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for seven weeks, from late August; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Russian sage: in flower together for four weeks, from late August.
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': in flower together for five weeks, from late August; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about bush clover
Does bush clover need sun or shade?
Bush clover grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does bush clover grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bush clover flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late August to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late August to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late August to early October |
| Zone 7 | Mid August to early October |
| Zone 8 | Mid August to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bush clover be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bush clover plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is bush clover poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat bush clover?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will bush clover spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds in warm climates, and its relatives are serious weeds. Cut it to the ground each spring and pull out any seedlings.
What flowers after bush clover?
Bush clover is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
What does bush clover look like in winter?
Bush clover drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is bush clover good for bees and butterflies?
Bush clover is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late August to early October; airy sprays; purple, pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Arching, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Comes from
- E. Himalaya to Central & S. China and Temp. E. Asia
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.