The Gardens

Zenobia pulverulenta / Dusty Zenobia or Honeycups

Planted in spring 2009.
Added two more in spring 2010.

Similar to blueberry, looser form. They turn russet red in very late fall, mixed with yellow. Flowers have citrusy (some say anise) scent.  Slow grower.

This is 'Woodlanders Blue' and I got this from Woodlanders.net, where they introduced it.
June 7, 2010

Needs acid soil as all heath plants do. 
you can see the powdery blush on the leaves  May 10. 2010


They hold leaves very late and through the winter.
December 2010

June 6, 2011

Eye catching in all seasons.

At times the foliage can be quite blue.
7/8/12

I added one beneath the blackhaw viburnum in the garden strip between the patio and the back garden.
8/4/12

In autumn the leaves turned russety mixed with the silvery blue, and stayed that way into winter. In this post on a  blog called Bogturtle's I found this description quoted from a catalog -- the fall color of zenobia is like "the glowing embers of a dying campfire", and that's it!  In full sun, it's bright, but in most lights it glows.
11/22/12

6/19/13                                                                                           7/18/13

7/21/13

12/3/13

6/20/15

It's not really blue, but it has a light cast to the foliage that makes it visible from a distance and hints at the slate blue of the bluestone steppers around this garden.
7/3/15

The two by the patio wall contrasted beautifully with the sea of purple ajuga in May, even though the zenobias were a little sparse in early spring. Later, filled out and leafy, they contrasted with the ajuga's dark foliage below and the light yellow green of the hydrangea.
2015:  5/13 with ajuga in bloom,  6/20 tall and leafy,  8/28 next to the flowering hydrangea

Click here for some very nice photos and a plant profile from the Federal Twist blog.