Japanese Kerria
Kerria japonica
ヤマブキ
Rosaceae
Kerria japonica is a deciduous, suckering shrub native to streamside
Native Container Wildlife value: low Maintenance: low shrub
Planting calendar (Tokyo baseline)
Pick a region in the header to shift the window.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | ||||||||||||
| Flowering | ||||||||||||
| Fruiting |
Tokyo baseline: months 2, 3, 4, 11
Growing requirements
| Light | part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | medium |
| Soil | average garden loam; tolerates clay; pH-flexible |
| Hardiness | Tokyo lowland |
| Container | Yes · Min container size: 15 L |
| Maintenance | low |
| Common issues | kerria twig blight (rare, prune out affected stems) |
Where to source
Seedlings, divisions, or seed. Native plant suppliers in Japan are the right starting point.
- Search Japanese suppliers for seedlings · native-plant suppliers
About this native
Kerria japonica is a deciduous, suckering shrub native to streamside
and forest-edge habitats across most of Japan. Bright green winter
stems hold visual interest in the bare season, and the species erupts
in clear yellow five-petalled flowers in mid-spring. Notably tolerant
of pollution, partial shade, and root competition — it earns its place
in urban Tokyo plantings where many natives sulk. The double-flowered
cultivar 'Pleniflora' is showier and sterile but loses the wildlife
value of the single form. Renew old canes from the base to keep the
silhouette open.
Usage
Coppice-style mixed border, slope stabilisation, larger container.
For tight gardens choose the single-flowered species form to limit
suckering.
Practical info
| Native | Yes |
|---|---|
| Edible | No |
| Wildlife value | low |
| Attracts |
|
You might also try
Cosine similarity over the attribute vector — plants with comparable light/water/life-form profiles.
- Japanese Aucuba Aucuba japonica 83%
- Solomon's seal Polygonatum odoratum 81%
- Toad lily Tricyrtis hirta 79%
- Kyushu azalea Rhododendron kiusianum 79%
- Flowering quince (boke) Chaenomeles speciosa 78%
Sources
Primary references, publications, and observation data this page draws on. How sources are picked is described in About the data .