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    • Photo of Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron' flower, foliage by Dancing Oaks Nursery

    Photo by Dancing Oaks Nursery

    Used with permission, all rights reserved

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    Buy Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron'

    Also Known As

    • Disporum longistylum 'Night Heron'
    • Night Heron Chinese Fairy Bells
    • Night Heron Fairy Bells

    Plant type

    perennial

    size

    • H: 4'-6'
    • W: 2'-6'

    planting zones

    • 5a-9b

    1 gallon bagged root ball | $19

    Ships UPS, flat charge based on order total

    30 at Gossler Farms

    3x5" tall pot | $17

    Ships USPS, based on weight/location

    Fewer than 20 at Secret Garden Growers

    More Options

    Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron' plant details

    Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron' is a broadleaf deciduous or semi-evergreen perennial with black, burgundy, chocolate, green and purple foliage. In spring cream flowers emerge followed by black fruit. Features glossy texture. Attracts bees making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with mostly sun - mostly shade and even moisture - regular water. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in acidic, average, clay, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something verticillium wilt resistant.

    CHARACTERISTICS OF Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron'

    Plant type: perennial
    Plant family: colchicaceae
    Foliage: deciduous or semi-evergreen black, burgundy, chocolate, green and purple
    Mature size: 2 FT - 6 FT - wide, 4 FT - 6 FT - tall
    Flowers: cream blooms in spring
    Uses: showy, winter interest, woodland garden

    GROWING CONDITIONS for Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron'

    USDA Zones: 5a - 9b
    Sun exposure: mostly sun - mostly shade
    Watering frequency: even moisture - regular
    Resistant to: verticillium wilt
    Soil needs: acidic, average, clay, rich and well-drained

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    Nursery contributed plant descriptions

    This perennial has deep green leaves on a 3'-4' upright plant. D. 'Night Heron' is a good focal point to grow with ferns and other woodland plants. The new growth is rich purple.

    By: Gossler Farms

    Featuring delightfully showy spring growth of dark purple stems attired with deep-purple lance-shaped leaves, somewhat reminiscent of bamboo. The name Night Heron, perhaps, suggests the plumage colors of the black-crowned night heron which is widely found in both China and North America. Graceful pale chartreuse flowers dangle from April-May creating a stunning contrast to the fading purple foliage. The foliage of this lovey 4-6' clumper gradually matures to green by summer. Blooms are followed by eye-catching, purple-black berries that ripen in late summer. PSh-S/M

    By: Forestfarm

    (Catonese Fairy Bells) Upright woodland perennial with sculptural stems reminiscent of bamboo 4-5’ tall, 2-3’ wide – deep purple leaves and buff papery bracts add to the effect! Graceful white bells dangle from tips April to June, followed by attractive purple-black berries – usually evergreen in winter – Easy to grow in rich, moist soils in light to moderate shade. Explore the dark side of this exquisite beauty! A Heronswood introduction.

    By: Secret Garden Growers

    Checkered Lilies are winsome, charming, with bell-shaped blooms in shades of purple marked with a faint checkerboard pattern. Native to damp meadows and woodlands in Europe, these bulbs need partial shade and abundant moisture, which makes them highly sought after among gardeners who have less than perfectly drained soil. An excellent choice for naturalizing in a moist, shady garden.

    By: Noname Nursery

    A beautiful evergreen perennial, Chinese Fairy Bells forms clumps with sheathed internodes and looks similar to bamboo when mature. It performs well in containers and makes for an excellent patio plant, especially when smaller perennials are added in like Hosta or Bloody Dock Rumex around the base of the plant. In mid spring, flowers appear at the end of the new growth that nod downwards and show yellow contrasting with dark black or purple leaves.
    Plants spread slowly to form a medium sized clump and are not invasive like other species of Disporum. We have found that plants typically look their best if they are pruned to the ground in late winter as the new shoots have a much darker color than the older growth. Partial shade is preferred and plants will look their best in well drained soil with lots of organic matter but are tolerant of many types of soil.

    Night Heron Fairy Bells are pruned to the ground for shipping, one gallon plants will typically flower in their first year but plug sizes need to grow for a year before flowering.

    By: Red Panda Nursery

    Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron' grows to 3-4 tall with burgundy-purple, bamboo-like shoots emerging in early spring like an exotic multi-limbed creature unfurling itself into the new season. The foliage then emerges flushed with chocolate-brown. Creamy white or greenish flowers are followed by dark blue-black berries that persist on this evergreen plant through winter. Grow in more sun to enhance and lengthen the burgundy display in the stems and leaves. A Dan Hinkley collection from Sichuan Province, China.

    By: Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd.

    With a cultivar name that honors where it originated, Heronswood Nursery, and perhaps alludes to the majestic Black-Crowned Night Heron, this woodland treasure unfurls tall, bamboo-style stalks and magnificent midnight purple leaves. The polished evergreen clumps possess a straight-up, dignified and dark presence, offsetting spring's myriad greenery. Deciduous in cooler climates, the foliage lightens to a greenish purple come summer while lining decorative stems marked by golden tan paperlike bracts at each node. In graceful repose, the tips bow, revealing terminal clusters of small, white bells, and later, abundant purple-black berries. A lover of rich, moist sites, 'Night Heron' is easy to cultivate, gives its best show en masse and makes a refined counterpoint to Rodgersia aesculifolia's bold demeanor.

    By: Digging Dog Nursery

    A Heronswood Nursery selection with bamboo-like stems that emerge dark purple rather than green, sheathed at each node with golden-tan papery bracts. Makes a 4-5 ft. tall evergreen clump (hardy in Zone 6, but deciduous) with small white flowers followed by many shiny black berries. Enjoys rich, moist soil. Easy.

    By: Heritage Seedlings

    4-5' stems purple stems, the leaves gradually turn green as the summer progresses, and dangling greenish yellow flowers, We think it's one of Dan's best introductions. ZONE 6

    By: Arrowhead Alpines

    Excellent selection from the former Heronswood nursery of this robust woodlander noted for the dark hued stems especially in the new growth. This is an exuberant grower sending up big dark chocolate asparagus spears of new growth in late spring which branch out as they get taller bearing small creamy-green bells followed by glistening small black fruit. The young leaves carry some of coloring of the new growth and the whole plant retains this color better if grown in sun in our mild sun climate. In our shade garden, the foliage matures to a very pleasing dark olive-green and seems like some impressive cousin to bamboo as it can each 5'-6' tall. We always mulch ours in winter as we don't want to freeze out the crown and the new growth can start early here in the PNW so this mulch protects it from getting frosted. An easy and stunning plant. This was and still is offered as a selection of Disporum cantoniense but we thank Bleddyn Wynn-Jones for correctly identifying this as to species.

    By: Far Reaches Farm

    Emerges black-purple in spring and stays that way until it gets warmer toward the end of the season, when the leaves turn to a purple tinted dark green. Creamy-white bell stand in contrast to the dark foliage. Like 'Green Giant', produces black-purple berries and stays evergreen in zones 9 and up but looses the leaves in colder regions.

    By: Edelweiss Perennials

    Blooms: spring, creamy white/ dark purple foliage, blue fruit, Heronswood cultivar Zone 4-9. 2'-4', China, part shade-shade, moist, well drained

    By: Keeping it Green Nursery

    This was billed as evergreen, but has died back every year in my garden. But still a very hearty plant that shows it's grace in summer in the shade.

    By: Specialty Ornamentals

    Wondrous burgundy-chocolate new growth in spring on bamboo like stems. Yellow green bells bring forth round blue-black fruit. Upright perennial to 6' tall.

    By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

    An extra special seedling from one of Dan Hinkley's trip to the far east. This one emerges blackish-purple in spring and ages to a purply-green. Clusters of white bell flowers hang down from 6' stems in early summer and produce purple-black fruit. Rich, moist soil in light shade is best with regular summer water. Evergreen above 0F, USDA zone 7 and root hardy to -20 °F, USDA zone 5.

    By: Cistus Nursery

    Gardening facts about Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron' plant

    How to Grow Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron'

    • Sun Exposure

      • mostly sun - mostly shade

    • Water Needs

      • even moisture - regular

    • Soil Needs

      • clay
      • acidic
      • adaptable
      • average
      • well-drained
      • rich

    • Special Situation

      • verticillium wilt resistant

    Features

    • Foliage Color

      • green
      • burgundy
      • purple
      • chocolate
      • black

    • Flower Color

      • cream

    • Wildlife

      • bees

    • Fruit

      • black

    • Flower Season

      • spring

    • Foliage Season

      • deciduous
      • semi-evergreen

    • Texture

      • glossy

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