Rostrinucula dependens

One of the truly great WHATZAT plants of the fall garden, that results in more questions than anything else is Rostrinucula dependens. Little known outside its native haunts in Shaanxi, China and south to Yunnan, this deciduous shrub to 4' tall is adorned with flaking brown bark and acts as a dieback perennial in the northern parts of its hardiness zone. It remains obscure until late summer and into early fall, when the long pendent, branched flower racemes emerge, giving the overall effect of a miniature cascading pink waterfall. The tiny pink flowers, which are a favorite of native bees, open each day as the floral display travels slowly down the long flower spike, finally ending in mid-October. Rostrinucula is easy to grow in part day sun and average to dry soils. If plants are not cut back in fall, seedlings will appear underneath it in spring.