Hardiness zones
Sunset 13-17, 19-24
USDA 9-11
Landscape Use: Accent shrub or trellis plant, container plant
Form & Character: Petite, delicate, wiry, and large sprawling shrub with an open habit.
Growth Habit: Open sprawling and irregular to 10'. Easily controlled at 5'. Grows larger in more humid climates
Foliage/texture: The ovate leaves are 1-3 in (2.5-7.6 cm) long and arranged on the stem in pairs opposite each other, or in whorls of three; medium fine texture.
Flowers & fruits: Showy blue flowers bloom almost all year long in terminal or lateral clusters (racemes, actually) up to 6" wide. Fruits are a small (1" wide) small, orange yellow pome.
Seasonal color: Flowers during entire warm season, fruit provide accent during winter.
Temperature: Cold hardy to 28oF. Shoots typically experience frost or freeze injury each winter in the lower elevation, colder sections of the greater Phoenix area such as in Mesa, Queen Creek, Apache Junction and Chandler/Gilbert.
Light: Needs partial shade in xeric style landscapes but performs well in full sun in landscapes with much surrounding vegetation, no western sun.
Soil: This beautiful shrub needs good soil drainage and fertile soil for best full growth.
Watering: In Phoenix, regular supplemental irrigations, especially during summer months, are needed.
Pruning: Heading back and light shearing may be needed to control occasional irregular shoots, otherwise leave alone to grow naturally. Inevitably some horticultural clods will shear golden dew drops into the proverbial landscape polyp robbing it of its ability to gracefully enhance any landscape setting.
Propagation: Seed, cuttings
Disease and pests: None
Additional comments: Golden dew drops is a graceful, delicate landscape shrub that has both wonderful displays of blue flowers and orange yellow fruits. The attractive fruits are poisonous to humans, so be wise and avoid use this shrub in children play areas where the temptation to 'try out' the lovely fruit could exist. The cultivar, 'Alba' has white flowers, whereas, the cultivar 'Grandiflora' has larger flowers, about 3/4" wide. The cultivar 'Sweet Memory' has a pearl-string cascade of flowers on a plume, whereas 'Variegata' has variegated leaves.
