Pearlbush 'The Bride'
Exochorda x macrantha 'The Bride' · Rosaceae
Arching branches are wreathed in round buds like strings of pearls, which open to large, pure white flowers in mid-spring.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early May to mid May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around pearlbush 'The Bride'
The planner designed this bed around pearlbush 'The Bride' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why pearlbush 'The Bride' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Pearlbush 'The Bride' × 1, white
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 25, pink
- 3 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 30, pink
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 6 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 7 Purple milkweed × 3, purple
- 8 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 9 Persian fritillary × 3, purple
- 10 Grape hyacinth × 7, blue
Why this plant
- 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 4 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 white mugwort (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 three weeks. From early May to mid May.
- In company. With persian fritillary and grape hyacinth in early May: 3 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 10 groups (70%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in early June. Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' is planted in 8 places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 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 pearlbush 'The Bride' goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 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.
For ten days it is the whitest thing in the garden. Its weeping habit is good on a bank or above a wall. Prune it after flowering to keep it dense.
- A weeping mound of white in spring
- Banks and walls
- Mixed shrub borders
What to plant with pearlbush 'The Bride'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Tulip: in flower together for three weeks, from early May; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Siberian iris: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May.
Questions about pearlbush 'The Bride'
Does pearlbush 'The Bride' need sun or shade?
Pearlbush 'The Bride' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does pearlbush 'The Bride' 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 pearlbush 'The Bride' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early May to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to late April |
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 pearlbush 'The Bride' be planted?
4 ft (120 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 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pearlbush 'The Bride' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is pearlbush 'The Bride' 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.
Is there a native plant like pearlbush 'The Bride'?
Pearlbush 'The Bride' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Black chokeberry: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in taller.
- Virginia sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early June to early July, wants moist soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after pearlbush 'The Bride'?
Pearlbush 'The Bride' is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Siberian iris: from late May to late June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Peony: from late May to late June, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does pearlbush 'The Bride' look like in winter?
Pearlbush 'The Bride' 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
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early May to mid May; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
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.