Japanese Kerria, beautiful bold yellow flowers in Spring

Japanese Kerria

Japanese Kerria is an early Spring bloomer of round yellow flowers. It is also known in some circles as Japanese Rose. The flowers are about an inch or so in diameter.

The variety that I grow and sell here is Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’. If you are even slightly used to these botanical names, you will understand the ‘Pleniflora’ part. It usually has something to do with a bold flower.

Plenty of flower

In this case the flower is a multi-layered dense petaled ball. For those of us that aren’t fluid in this language, I think of it as plenty of flower.

Japanese Kerria is a wiry shrub with branches that get loads of flowers along them. It can get several feet high, maybe 5 or 6 feet and somewhat wider than that. If there isn’t some kind of support, like a fence, the shrub will take on a somewhat weeping appearance.

The flowers bloom on old wood. That is, last year’s branch growth. Since they bloom like this, it is best to prune in the spring after they are finished blooming.

Pruning

The long vining branches can be pruned back to a more manageable size if desired also. These will also send up suckers from the ground around the base. If this is undesirable, remove them as soon as possible before they get too big.

These bushes can also be cut back hard occasionally to regenerate them. Cutting them back to less than half their size will make them come back fuller. I have cut mine back hard like this a couple of times so far.

Earlier I mentioned a fence as a support. If you have an area along a fence that is in part sun and are looking for something to grow with it, this may be an option. Those wiry branches can be trained to intertwine along with the fence.

Japanese Kerria Uniqueness

Springtime yellow flowers and a somewhat unique looking bush the rest of the season. Unique you say. In what ways? Glad you asked.

The green color of this plant is as green green as green can be in my opinion. The branches are round and hard with the leaves being farther apart than most plants. This makes the branches very prominent.

And the leaves

The leaves on Japanese Kerria look like long serrated narrow triangles. The leaves are about 3 inches or so and get smaller towards the branch tip. They are only about an inch wide at the base.

Serrated points all around the edges set them apart. These traits make the Japanese Kerria stand out in the yardscape even when they aren’t blooming.

Differences in plant color, plant size, plant shape, leaf shape and texture. These are some of the major points that make plants standout in your yard. I have lots and lots of plants growing here in my yard. It doesn’t take much to see all the differences in the plants.

If you are looking for something that is different, or you have a fence just begging for a dress up, stop on by and see about picking up one of these Japanese Kerrias for yourself. I usually have some in stock in the nursery.

For more details on Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’, you can do what I oftentimes do. Check out Missouri Botanical Garden’s website. They have excellent info on loads and loads of different plants.