Disporum cantoniense
‘Night Heron’
at Digging Dog

Cantonese Fairy Bells

Disporum

Disporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’   

With a cultivar name that honors where it originated, Heronswood Nursery, and perhaps alludes to the majestic Black-Crowned Night Heron, this woodland treasure unfurls tall, bamboo-style stalks and magnificent midnight purple leaves. The polished evergreen clumps possess a straight-up, dignified and dark presence, offsetting spring’s myriad greenery.

Deciduous in cooler climates, the foliage lightens to a greenish purple come summer while lining decorative stems marked by golden tan paperlike bracts at each node. In graceful repose, the tips bow, revealing terminal clusters of small, white bells, and later, abundant purple-black berries. A lover of rich, moist sites, ‘Night Heron’ is easy to cultivate, gives its best show en masse and makes a refined counterpoint to Rodgersia aesculifolia’s bold demeanor.

Blooms April–July.

Size: 4'–5' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Disporum cantoniense Night Heron (p-1333)
Each $9.75
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