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Green Elf Bush Clover

Lespedeza thunbergii 'Green Elf'

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Green Elf Bush Clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Green Elf') at A Very Successful Garden Center

Green Elf Bush Clover foliage

Green Elf Bush Clover foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  3 feet

Spread:  3 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  4b

Description:

This attractive compact shrub is covered with purple pea-like flowers from summer to fall atop dusky deep green foliage with curious white spots; a versatile plant for tough locations, may be treated as a perennial in colder zones

Ornamental Features

Green Elf Bush Clover is smothered in stunning racemes of pink pea-like flowers at the ends of the branches from late summer to early fall. It has attractive white-spotted grayish green foliage. The narrow leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding yellow in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Green Elf Bush Clover is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Green Elf Bush Clover is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Border Edging
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Green Elf Bush Clover will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Green Elf Bush Clover makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Edging  Garden  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Foliage Color  Fall Color 
Ornamental Features