Height40-60cm

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Large deciduous shrub (typically 2.5–4 m high and wide) with deeply veined dark green leaves that turn red and orange in autumn, small pale pink flowers in early summer, and relatively large bright red berries that colour early.

Attractive multi-season interest, good for bees and birds, hardy (RHS H6), adaptable to a range of soils and conditions, and useful as a specimen, screen or informal hedge.

Planting advice

• Plant while dormant, from November to March (ideally earlier in the window when soil is workable); avoid frozen or waterlogged ground.
• Choose a site in full sun (best for flowers and berries) to partial shade, with well-drained soil (tolerates chalk, clay, loam or sand; acid, neutral or alkaline).
• On arrival, keep roots moist; soak in water for a few hours before planting. Heel in temporarily if needed.
• Dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread naturally and deep enough so the plant sits at the original soil mark on the stem. Improve poor soil with organic matter if desired.
• Spread roots out, backfill, firm gently, and water thoroughly.
• Mulch around the base (keep clear of the stem) and water regularly during the first growing season until established. Once settled it is low-maintenance and reasonably drought-tolerant.

Space according to final size (allow room for 2.5–4 m spread) or closer for hedging/screening.

Note: listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act as an invasive non-native in Great Britain — legal to grow in gardens but illegal to plant or allow to grow in the wild.