Cutleaf stephanandra
Stephanandra incisa 'Crispa' · Rosaceae
A low, dense, mounding groundcover of arching, zigzag stems and small, deeply cut leaves that turn orange and purple in autumn.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early June to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around cutleaf stephanandra
The planner designed this bed around cutleaf stephanandra when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why cutleaf stephanandra stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Cutleaf stephanandra × 1, green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 10, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 43, yellow
- 4 Feather reed grass 'Avalanche' × 3, tan
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 6 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 7 Purple wood spurge × 8, green
- 8 Double snowdrop × 7, white
- 9 Snowdrop × 5, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does feather reed grass 'Avalanche'.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 9 groups (78%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Low plants run along 95% of the front edge: bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'. The longest in flower is feather reed grass 'Avalanche': 17 weeks, from mid June to early October.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 cutleaf stephanandra goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
It roots as it spreads and holds a bank against erosion. The cinnamon-brown stems are attractive in winter. Trim it back if the tips are killed by cold.
- Holding banks
- Groundcover among shrubs
- Trailing over walls
What to plant with cutleaf stephanandra
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August.
- Japanese forest grass: happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about cutleaf stephanandra
Does cutleaf stephanandra need sun or shade?
Cutleaf stephanandra grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does cutleaf stephanandra grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °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.
How far apart should cutleaf stephanandra be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many cutleaf stephanandra plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is there a native plant like cutleaf stephanandra?
Cutleaf stephanandra is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Yellowroot: the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the front, 4 in taller.
- Cliff green: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 16 in narrower.
- Lowbush blueberry: the same job in a bed; 8 in shorter, 22 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will cutleaf stephanandra spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by stems that root where they touch the ground. Easy to cut back.
What does cutleaf stephanandra look like in winter?
Cutleaf stephanandra drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub (groundcover)
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early June to late June; airy sprays; white, green
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.