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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database < Dirca palustris
If you want spring to start extra early in your Georgia garden, plant leatherwood. This neat, round, compact shrub spends the winter decorated with little pale, fuzzy buds that resemble Q-Tips. The buds open in February to reveal delicate, yellow-green, bell-shaped blossoms with long yellow stamens. The early blooms provide nectar and pollen for bees, which are often close to starvation at this time of year.
Leatherwood is the very first shrub in my yard to leaf out. Little tender leaves emerge at the same time as the flowers and are so bright and golden that at first glance you might think they are part of the inflorescence. The leaves become darker and less noticeable as spring progresses, but in fall they command attention again, turning a clear, glowing lemon yellow.
If you’re looking for a deer-resistant plant, leatherwood is a good choice. It protects itself against browsing animals with tough, foul-tasting bark that can cause digestive problems if swallowed. Native Americans used the strong bark and flexible twigs to weave rope and baskets. Chartreuse fruits ripen in summer and are eaten by birds.
Thymelaeaceae (Daphne Family)
Medium-sized deciduous shrub with rounded, smooth-edged, light green leaves about 3 inches long. Pale yellow flowers bloom in early spring, and light green fruits ripen in summer. Fall leaf color is yellow.
3 to 6 feet high and wide.
Multi-stemmed, with a dense, rounded form.
Extremely slow.
Shade to part shade.
Plant in moist, rich soil; leatherwood will also tolerate wet conditions.
Assets include delicate yellow flowers very early in spring, yellow-green spring leaves, and bright yellow leaves in fall.
Plant leatherwood along a stream bank or in a woodland garden. With its tidy, rounded shape, it can even be used as a foundation plant.
Early blooms provide crucial nectar and pollen for bees.
Found along stream banks and in moist, rich woods throughout Georgia.
Seed, layering.
Photo and text by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation
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Leatherwood
