Redvein enkianthus
Enkianthus campanulatus · Ericaceae
Tiers of branches hung with clusters of small, creamy bells veined in red in late spring, and autumn colour that passes through yellow, orange and scarlet.
- Size
- 10 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid May to early June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around redvein enkianthus
The planner designed this bed around redvein enkianthus 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 redvein enkianthus stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Redvein enkianthus × 1, cream
- 2 Roman chamomile × 18, white
- 3 Leadwort × 14, blue
- 4 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 5 Canadian burnet × 4, white
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Bergenia × 3, pink
- 8 Camassia × 5, blue
- 9 Easter lily × 5, white
- 10 Winter aconite × 12, yellow
Why this plant
- The only bells. The others are daisies, dense clusters, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only cream. Cream sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- 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 10 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 four weeks. From mid May to early June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' and camassia in late May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 10 of the 11 groups (91%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by redvein enkianthus and canadian burnet, the tallest plants on the plan. The bold leaves of bergenia are set against the fine leaves of roman chamomile, the kind of contrast that keeps a bed from blurring.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory, 1 Needs revision. Its weakest point is height and scale: Heights average about 10 in at the front, 3 ft in the middle and 5 ft at the back. Along the back row the heights step up and down, between 3½ ft and 10 ft, and no two neighbours are the same height.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where redvein enkianthus goes in a border
At 10 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 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.
It needs the same acid, moist soil as rhododendrons, and it lights up among their dark evergreen leaves in autumn. Its upright, layered habit takes little ground space.
- Brilliant autumn colour
- With rhododendrons and azaleas
- Layered, elegant branching
What to plant with redvein enkianthus
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rhododendron 'PJM': low enough (5 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about redvein enkianthus
Does redvein enkianthus need sun or shade?
Redvein enkianthus 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, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does redvein enkianthus grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 7. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 7 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 redvein enkianthus flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Mid May to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to late May |
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 redvein enkianthus 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 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 ft (300 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many redvein enkianthus 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 redvein enkianthus 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 redvein enkianthus?
Redvein enkianthus comes from Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Siberian dogwood: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 3½ ft shorter, white, not cream.
- Large fothergilla: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter, 12 in wider.
- Black chokeberry 'Viking': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 ft shorter, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat redvein enkianthus?
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 redvein enkianthus?
Redvein enkianthus is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Oakleaf hydrangea: from mid June to early August, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Elderberry 'Black Lace': from early June to late June, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does redvein enkianthus look like in winter?
Redvein enkianthus 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
- Size
- 10 ft (300 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid May to early June; hanging bells; cream
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green, red
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Comes from
- Japan
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.