Leucothoe 'Curly Red'

Also known as switch ivy or dog hobble, Leucothoe Curly Red is an usual small shrub with interesting foliage. The elliptic to ovate leaves have a curled, puckered shape that gives the appearance of them having been twisted. Young leaves start out an orangey shade of red in spring before maturing to a glossy dark green during the summer months. As autumn arrives and winter approaches, the leaves change again, adopting a crimson then purple hue throughout the coldest months of the year.

In spring, white flowers appear over the foliage. However, the blooms are insignificant and don’t detract at all from the foliage. The flowers are followed by bright red berries that attract birds to the garden in autumn.

Leucothoe Curly Red is a low maintenance evergreen shrub that is easy to care for. It thrives in partial shade or full shade in moist acidic soil that doesn’t get waterlogged. Pruning requirements are limited to cutting away dead or damaged branches.

This is an excellent choice of shrub for providing ground cover in borders and banks. It is also well-suited to container gardening and grows well in pots.

Please Note: When purchasing plants, please consider that each live item is unique and may therefore differ from the images shown, which are for illustration purposes only. The plant will be supplied in a growers pot. Depending on season, some plants may be pruned back to encourage growth and deciduous plants may arrive without leaves.