Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst': St. John's Wort with Blue-Green Leaves and Golden Flowers

Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst' is a small, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub with attractive flaking reddish-brown bark on mature stems and striking linear to oblong blue-green leaves. Midsummer to early autumn, it bears golden yellow flowers with bushy center stamens. Reddish-brown fruit capsules ripen in September and persist into winter. Excels in the Midwest.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Popular cultivar with slightly larger flowers on a more compact plant than the species. Foliage evergreen to semi-evergreen in southern range. Use in hedges, shrub borders, foundation plantings, or en masse. May suffer winter damage but flowering unaffected.

Care

Provide full sun to part shade and moist but well-drained, rich, sandy soil. Tolerates some drought. Mulch in winter.

Propagation

Sow seed in a cold frame in autumn. Divide in spring or autumn. Take softwood cuttings in late spring; greenwood or semi-ripe cuttings in summer.

Problems

Thrips, scale, anthracnose, rust, leaf spots. Wilt and root rot in hot, humid climates.

Overview

• Height: 3–6 ft.
• Spread: 3–6 ft.
• Growth Habit: Clumps
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Moisture: Medium Moisture
• Maintenance: Low
• Characteristics: Interesting Bark, Showy Flowers, Showy Foliage, Showy Fruit
• Bloom Time: Fall, Summer
• Flower Color: Yellow
• Uses: Beds and Borders, Specimen Plant/Focal Point
• Seasonal Interest: Spring Interest
• Tolerance: Drought Tolerant
• Type: Shrubs