I am trying to find the proper soil pH for growing Leycesteria ‘Red Shuttle’. I am hoping to plant it in partial shade next to rhododendrons (acidic soil). How will it do?
Leycesteria ‘Red Shuttle’ is the formosa species and should do well in any fertile soil, provided it is not highly alkaline (according to The Plant Care Manual by Stefan Buczacki (Crown Publishers, 1993).
Plants That Merit Attention, Vol. 2, Shrubs, (by the Garden Club of America, 1984, p. 172) states:
Needs sun for best bract and fruit color; prefers rich, moist loam; tolerates wind, drought, and air pollution…A handsome woodland shrub best in natural setting or shrub border. Needs sun for best flower and fruit color. May be pruned in spring. Partial dieback in winter not unusual; shrub rejuvenates the following growing season, often growing back successfully from roots….
Trees and Shrubs for Pacific Northwest Gardens (by
J. Grant, 1990, p. 239) states:
…This shrub is easily grown in any good garden soil in full sun but prefers a rich, moist loam. It may achieve a height of as much as 15 ft. in a sheltered position. The rootstock is perfectly hardy, but the top is occasionally cut to the ground in exceptionally severe winters. If pruned almost to the ground every year, which is one method of treatment, it will send up lusty 6-ft. shoots and flower freely during the latter part of the summer….