Paperbush
Edgeworthia chrysantha · Thymelaeaceae
Silvery, silk-covered buds hang from the bare, cinnamon-brown branches all winter and open in late winter to nodding globes of yellow, scented flowers.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early February to late March
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around paperbush
The planner designed this bed around paperbush when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why paperbush stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Paperbush × 1, yellow
- 2 Leadwort × 19, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 20, yellow
- 4 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 5 Canadian burnet × 4, white
- 6 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 7 Joe-Pye weed 'Baby Joe' × 3, pink
- 8 Camassia × 4, blue
- 9 Checkered lily × 12, purple
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only globes. The others are dense clusters, daisies, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does palm sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant 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 canadian burnet (5 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 early February to late March.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 11 groups (82%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 49 to 51, left to right. Something is in flower for 29 weeks between early February and early October, with a pause of 3 weeks from late March.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 6 Good, 2 Satisfactory. 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 paperbush goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ 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.
Related to daphne, with the same powerful scent. The branches fork in threes into a perfect dome, handsome even when bare. Its bark was used to make Japanese banknotes.
- Winter scent
- A specimen for a sheltered corner
- Winter branch structure
What to plant with paperbush
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about paperbush
Does paperbush need sun or shade?
Paperbush grows in 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, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does paperbush grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does paperbush flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early February to late March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Late January to early March |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Mid January to early March |
| Zone 9 | Mid January to late February |
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 paperbush be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many paperbush plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is paperbush poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The sap and bark can irritate skin, and may cause stomach upset if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like paperbush?
These come closest to doing what paperbush does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Buttercup winter hazel: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in shorter, 12 in wider.
- Tatarian dogwood 'Ivory Halo': the same job in a bed and the same size; grown for its leaves, not its flowers, medium leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat paperbush?
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.
What flowers after paperbush?
Paperbush is over by late March. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lenten rose: from late March to early May, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Evergreen azalea: from mid April to mid May, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Daffodil: from mid April to early May, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does paperbush look like in winter?
Paperbush drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter scent and winter branch structure. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is paperbush good for bees and butterflies?
Paperbush is visited by pollinators, bees and butterflies.
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- The first flowers of spring
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early February to late March; globes; yellow, cream
- Leaves
- Bold texture, deciduous; blue-green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Thymelaeaceae
- Comes from
- China and the Himalayas
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies
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.