Quick Guide: summer, hardy, sun/ semi-shaded, height: 6m/20ft, width: 1.8m-2.4m/6-8 ft
If you can offer a sheltered, position, perhaps with the protection of a warm wall, Eucryphia x nymansensis would be a worthy candidate for the spot. Not fully hardy, in a favourable position it produces exquisite white, saucer-shaped flowers with a boss of red-tipped yellow stamens in late summer. These blooms are well set off by glossy oval leaves.
GROWING Plant in autumn on light soil, neutral or slightly acid. Eucryphias like sun or partial shade with a cool root run. In winter, protect young plants from frost with a covering of straw. Pruning is not necessary, but pinch out the leading shoots of young plants to encourage a bushy habit.
PROPAGATION Take 10cm/4in cuttings of non-flowering side shoots in late summer and insert in a peat/sand mixture at 16°C/61°F in a propagator. Pot up when rooted and over-winter in a cold frame. Harden off in the summer, keep sheltered over winter and plant out in the following spring.
VARIETIES 'Nymansay' (shown), vigorous, upright habit, profusion of 7.5cm/3in wide white flowers in late summer.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Generally trouble-free.
