Enjoy year-round color with minimal care with the Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe or Leucothoe axillaris. This plant blooms in May when white, bell-shaped flowers dangle from long stems. The flowers are lovely, but this plant is all about foliage. New leaves are a copper color before settling into a rich mahogany hue. The shade-loving Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe is an evergreen, so it retains its lovely foliage throughout the winter.
Leucothoe is native to North America, so this plant requires very little care once it settles in. Use Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe to create leafy mass plantings. This shrub makes a dramatic impact when several are grouped together. Feature this plant in beds, borders, or any area of the yard that receives partial sun. Grow this plant as a perennial in zones 5 through 9.
Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe Care
Leucothoe can handle full sun, but it prefers partial shade. Plant this beauty in a spot that receives 3 to 4 hours of sunlight. This plant likes rich soil with high organic content and a neutral to acidic pH. The soil must promote drainage. Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe has average water needs and requires extra water when blooming or during a dry spell. Apply balanced fertilizer during the spring through mid-summer.
This shrub does not require a lot of pruning because it has an excellent natural shape. Remove dead or damaged growth when necessary and shape the plant when blooming is complete.
Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe Spacing
Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe has an upright, mounded growth habit. Plants reach 18 to 24 inches tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Space Leucothoe about about 24 inches apart to create a dense, leafy look.
Squirt™ Compact Leucothoe Information
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 – 9
Plant Type: Bushes
Light Exposure: Partial Shade (3 – 4 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)
Mature Height: 18 – 24 Inches
Mature Spread: 2 – 3 Feet
Spacing: 2 – 3 Feet
Habit: Mounded
Flower Color(s): White
Flower Description:
Bloom Period:
Foliage Type: Evergreen
Foliage Color(s): Green
Foliage Description: Dark Green
Seasonal Interest: Spring Flowering
Watering: Low
Resists: Deer
Tolerates: Drought
Attracts: Bees, Birds
Container Role:
Uses: Borders, Edging, Hedges & Privacy, Mass Planting, Specimen or Focal Point, Wildlife Gardens
Features: Attracts Pollinators, Foliage Interest, Fragrant, Low Maintenance, Native to North America
