Asked on Sep 02, 2012

can anyone tell me what kind of "flowering perennial shrub" this is?

Jennifer E
by Jennifer E
can anyone tell me what kind of "flowering perennial shrub" this is? I bought at walmart and that's all it said on it ... the flowers look like wisteria clusters with lilac like tiny flowers, it has a woody stem, but the ends of the branches look like they're vines reaching out. I have since seen this shrub used quite frequently in CA and AZ but no one that I've asked seems to remember what it is.
purple flower with white edges - shrub, not a vine
  18 answers
  • Sherrie S Sherrie S on Sep 02, 2012
    I'm not an expert but it looks like a plant I recently purchased - Duranta Sapphire. It is a beautiful plant.
  • Lou B Lou B on Sep 02, 2012
    It is a Duranta, also called a Golden dew drop, for the gold berries that appear after the flowers drop off.
  • Sherrie S Sherrie S on Sep 02, 2012
    Lou B, the gold berries are on my plant now and so are the flowers. It is a butterfly magnet.
  • Jennifer E Jennifer E on Sep 02, 2012
    thank you ladies!! now i just have to find more of this beautiful plant - the one i had died when my sprinkler system timer got messed up while i was on vacation. I enjoyed this plant so much that i had to find out what it was called so i can have a better time finding it!!
  • Sherrie S Sherrie S on Sep 02, 2012
    Jennifer E, I didn't check this out but does it normally grow in Kansas?
  • Jennifer E Jennifer E on Sep 03, 2012
    Well from what I can tell it likes from zone 8-15 and we're zone 7 so I'm going to try it .. I wish there would've been a tag with the plant I bought so that I could see if it was a slightly different variety or something, not sure why they'd sell us one that doesn't grow here - but obviously that does happen ;) I'm going to try growing it and see what happens.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Sep 03, 2012
    Jennifer, a book could be written on big box stores selling plants that are inappropriate for where the store is located. I doubt that your Duranta will make it through a Kansas winter, but I would love to be proven wrong.
  • Lou B Lou B on Sep 03, 2012
    Douglas, I think your right. I have a tall variegated Duranta that I planted a few years ago and we had a freeze here in FL....killed it back to the ground...but it did come back...not sure if it would take a hard freeze. Although, my two smaller ones have made it thru some light freezes without any problems. It is considered a tropical. Jennifer, there are several different types of Duranta, there is a white one and a purple colored one, as well as the blue. You might want to wait until spring to replace it. You can find them a Lowe's. Usually if you ask the garden center they will order it for you. I have done this in the past with Lowe's. You might want to pot them.
  • Duranta, Golden Dewdrop.
  • Jennifer E Jennifer E on Sep 03, 2012
    Thank you Lou B. I will take your advice and wait until spring and then put it in a pot - i've also heard that they can be placed in a hanging pot, i have a really deep, big wrought iron one i might try and then transplant to a pot on the porch if it grows out of it too quickly. I think I will buy just two and put one in a pot and one in the ground that way I can see how it does through the winter and if it doesn't live i'll still have the one in the pot - which will look goregous in the house in winter :) I live in southern ks and we don't get below freezing temps that often although with the wind it sometimes feels below freezing! :) I did not know that you could ask lowes to order the plants in for you! that is good information to know! thank you!! :)
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Sep 04, 2012
    Jennifer, I think your best shot is to put them in a pot that you can bring in to a sheltered spot when the temps dip.
  • Jennifer E Jennifer E on Sep 04, 2012
    Thank you I will do that! :)
  • Rhonda Clements Rhonda Clements on Jun 01, 2014
    put in a pot and drag it into your garage or basement for the winter, dont forget to water sparingly, wont survive Kansas winter, barely survives ours in Seattle and we are zone 8b
  • DORLIS DORLIS on Jul 27, 2014
    wALMART NEVER HAS NAMES ON PLANTS THEY SELL.
  • DORLIS DORLIS on Jul 27, 2014
    IT IS A PRETTY PLANT BUT I AM IN ZONE 5 SO IT WOULD HAVE TO BE IN A POT
  • Marietjie Marietjie on Jul 28, 2014
    Make cuttings in riversand they grow easy
  • Dorothy Dorothy on Jul 28, 2014
    Sort of off topic and not to defend WalMart (or other big box stores) but local stores have no control over what they get. The headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas orders/controls everything (I worked garden dept at Walmart in Fallon, NV for about 6 months....it's crazy what gets ordered for a desert).....they even control store temperature from headquarters.
  • Gyp5480909 Gyp5480909 on Apr 10, 2016
    Sweet Morning Sky Flower. I live in Central Valley, CA. Planted under a nectarine tree & Idling well after 3 years or so. I am in Zone 9, Sunset Zone 14. Heavy alkaline clay soil, low water. I've never pruned it , just deadheaded and cut off what was in the way. Sources say it can get to 20'.