Mendel’s Gardens

Kolkwitzia amabilis

Beauty Bush · Beautybush

Family CaprifoliaceaeGenus Kolkwitzia

Also published as Linnaea amabilis. You are in the right place.

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Deciduous shrub
Height
6-10 ft
Spread
6-10 ft
Flower
Showy; pink with a yellow throat
Blooms
April to May
Native range
Eastern China
Hardiness zones
4-8
Note
Tolerates deer, clay soil and black walnut.

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun
Soil
Average, medium moisture, well-drained
Watering
Medium

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Source: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden.

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 31, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 5 days to germinate.

25% germination — first up on day 3, then 15% a day.

Fresh seed or six months dry, at 70 or 40 -- all the same. Just never start it cold.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KolkowitziaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kolkowitzia (Caprifoliaceae). K. amabilis germ. best with either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40 in 70(25%, i. t 3 d, 15%/d). Starting the seed at 40 is fatal. The seed is held in a dry state on the shrub all winter and is not shed until the warmth of May when growth starts. Seeds blown off in winter encounters low T and moisture and die.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kolkowitzia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    Starting the seed at 40 is fatal.

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Fatal. In the wild the seed stays dry on the shrub until the warmth of May.

This source doesn't state how long.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KolkowitziaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kolkowitzia (Caprifoliaceae). K. amabilis germ. best with either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40 in 70(25%, i. t 3 d, 15%/d). Starting the seed at 40 is fatal. The seed is held in a dry state on the shrub all winter and is not shed until the warmth of May when growth starts. Seeds blown off in winter encounters low T and moisture and die.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kolkowitzia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.