Because of the sprawling growth of the plant , constant trimming is essential to maintain its compact and bushy form. You can start training your flower as a stemmed shrub early in its development and simply prune to one central leader until it reaches the desired height.
Prune to shape after flowering. Fertilise with a slow release fertiliser after pruning.
Plants with a weeping habit like Duranta 'Geisha Girl' do not need to be clipped as tightly. Clip when flowers have finished. To maintain the look simply cut off any shoots growing from the trunk or at ground level and clip the mop head as required.
Pruning. This is a vigorous plant so regular pruning will be required to keep the plant compact and bushy. If you want to train the plant as a stemmed shrub, start at an early age and simply prune to one central leader until you reach the desired height. You may need to stake a plant trained this way.
once a week. Use a balanced fertilizer like a 15-15-15 or a blooming fertilizer like 7-9-5. When seasonal growth stops in winter, discontinue feeding. If leaves become pale or older leaves turn yellow and fall excessively, increase fertilizer to twice a week until they green up.
Plant description
Duranta repens 'Geisha Girl' is a tough, evergreen dense shrub that grows to 2.5 metres tall and wide, with pendulous sprays of flowers from spring to autumn.
It is easy to propagate this plant using hardwood cutting. The stem cuttings are of at least 5-8 inch size can be taken during the summer season. The lower tip of the stem cutting should be pushed into the soil. Roots will start developing very quickly.
Geisha Girl prefers well drained soil and to be placed in a position of full sunlight. It is very fast growing.
known as Sky Flower, Pigeon Berry, Golden Dewdrop or Geisha Girl is an invasive environmental weed listed on the Bushland Friendly Nursery Scheme weed list.
Did you know that Duranta erecta (commonly known as Geisha girl, Sheena's gold, golden dewdrop, or simply Duranta) can be toxic to your pets? The leaves and berries are known to be toxic, however the toxin responsible for poisoning has not yet been identified.
Capsicum whitefly is the only whitefly known to heavily infest the ornamental plants, geisha girl and golden dewdrop.
Originates from Japan. USE IN: Hedges, or for a splash of contrasting colour in your garden. LOCATION: Sunny to part shade and suitable for most parts of Australia. Very hardy hedging plant, tolerates dry periods.
PRUNING: Prune in late winter. Avoid continual shearing on older shrubs; this creates a dense outer layer of foliage that shades and kills inner foliage. Prune selected branches by hand to allow some light penetration.
Duranta plants are not heavy feeders and can grow perfectly in rich soil without any additional fertiliser. However, your plant will not complain if during the growing season you use an all-purpose general fertiliser once a month, especially if it grows in lean or rocky soils.
Durantas bloom on the new growth, and the flowers attract butterflies. If eaten, the fruit can cause gastro-intestinal irritation, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
It now invades disturbed areas of native vegetation and road embankments and is spread long distances by birds and the dumping of garden refuse. Duranta is not a prohibited or restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
The suggested planting interval is 2 per meter (50cm spacing).
Duranta repens is an ornamental shrub that frequently exhibits leaf curl symptoms typical of begomoviral infection. Two begomoviruses or DNA-A components (isolates 57SA and 58SA) along with a DNA-B component (31SA) were identified in a symptomatic D. repens plant.
Roots will begin to form over a period of time and will soon fill the pots. Once you notice new growth appearing and the cutting is firm in the pot, you can then transplant into larger pots or into a postion in the garden.
Duranta erecta (family: Verbenaceae) commonly referred to golden dewdrop, pigeon berry, angel whisper, or skyflower is one of the traditional medicinal plants. It has been shown to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticide properties.
The Duranta may have light problems, too, or need fertilizer. When a plant has too little light or too few nutrients to support its newest growth, it sacrifices its most shaded and oldest leaves. They don't die in place but yellow gradually -- giving up their nutrients to be reused elsewhere -- and drop off cleanly.
Duranta shrubs grow best in moist, fertile soil in full sun and can develop yellow leaves in poor, dry soil, which is a condition called chlorosis. Missouri Botanical Garden classifies its water needs as medium, meaning it needs regular watering but that the soil should be allowed to dry out well between waterings.
For most plants, root pruning is recommended in the fall, followed by transplanting in the spring. This allows the plant to grow new feeder roots in the pruned zone over the winter without the burden of supporting new growth. For larger plants, you may want to root prune one year or more before transplanting.