What is Doghobble & Why is it Planted in the Seattle Japanese Garden?
By Corinne Kennedy
Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™, recently planted on the east side of the Garden’s central pond. (photo: Corinne Kennedy, April 18, 2023)
Leucothoe is a genus of attractive broadleaf evergreen shrubs that are not well-known in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Japanese Garden, however, is graced with seven plants, several added to the Garden just this past winter. Three young Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™ specimens were planted on the east side of the pond, across from four older Leucothoe fontanesiana plants located on its west side, near the teahouse garden (roji). Both species, unfortunately, are saddled with the undignified name “doghobble.”
I discovered the young Burning Love™ plants several months ago, finding them very attractive. So, I decided to write about Leucothoe this spring—in the second article of a three-part series featuring compact broadleaf evergreens recently added to the Garden. (The first article, posted in February, was about Distylium hybrids. The final article, about Pittosporum tobira, will be posted this June.)
Broadleaf evergreens and the genus Leucothoe
Broadleaf evergreens are arguably the most important plant type in Japanese-style gardens. Their form and foliage contribute year-round structure, even if their flowers are relatively insignificant. However, when the Seattle Japanese Garden was created in 1960, garden creator Jūki Iida was unable to source the broadleaf evergreens used in Japan. Perhaps reluctantly, he agreed that rhododendrons, which were popular in the Seattle area, could serve as substitutes. In the years since then, as more broadleaf evergreens have become available, the Garden’s plantings have become more diverse.
The genus Leucothoe is one of the more recent additions to our Garden. It’s a member of the heather family, Ericacae (aka the blueberry family), which also includes rhododendrons, azaleas, and other acid-loving shrubs. Unfortunately, many Leucothoe species have poisonous foliage, flowers, or fruit, as do other plants in this very large plant family.
Leucothoe fontanesiana
Leucothoe fontanesiana, planted in the Garden before 2010, is one of the most common native shrubs in the Eastern U.S., growing wild in moist, forested, mountainous areas, in ravines and thickets, and along stream banks—from New York to Alabama and Georgia, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. Common names include highland doghobble, mountain doghobble, drooping leucothoe, and fetterbush. Several other closely related species are native there at lower elevations.
Highland doghobble in the Seattle Japanese Garden, planted on the west side of the pond. (photo: Corinne Kennedy, April 18, 2023)
Highland doghobble is a graceful, multi-stemmed broadleaf evergreen shrub with an attractive fountain-like habit. It grows three to six feet tall and wide, thriving in full or part shade, on very wet, acidic soils. With its long arching branches and suckering habit, it often covers entire slopes, together with rosebay rhododendron and mountain laurel.
The glossy leaves are leathery, lance-shaped, and held alternately on the stem. They are sharply toothed and three to six inches long, tapering to a long point. In spring, the new growth is often reddish-green, before maturing to medium or dark green, then changing in winter to bronzy purple.
Beginning in late April or early May, pendulous clusters of white, waxy, fragrant, urn-shaped flowers open, suspended from the leaf axils (where the leaf attaches to the stem). They are attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The next year’s flower buds begin forming in autumn, turning a showy dark red in winter.
The showy flower clusters of highland doghobble. (photo: David Stang, Wikimedia Commons)
But it’s the arching branches and sharp leaves that have given rise to doghobble’s curious common name. With its suckering habit and branches that often root at their tips, highland doghobble eventually becomes a very wide, nearly impenetrable thicket. It is said that black bears pursued up steep slopes by hunters and their dogs will bound through doghobble’s dense, tangled colonies, but the dogs and their owners will be hindered or “hobbled” by the intertwined branches.
Leucothoe fontanesiana is hardy to USDA Zone 5 (minimum temperature – 20 degrees Fahrenheit), and grows best in moist, acid soils in part shade, with consistent moisture and good air circulation. It does not tolerate drought or windy conditions. Although it has no serious pest or disease problems and can be grown in full shade and a variety of soils, plants often develop disfiguring leaf spot under less-than-optimal cultural conditions. They can easily be maintained at three feet tall or less, but routine pruning is not required.
The genus name Leucothoe derives from Greek mythology, recognizing one of the many loves of the god Apollo. The species name, fontanesiana, honors the French botanist, René Loiche Desfontaines (1752-1833).
Leucothoe keiskei
Recent breeding efforts have resulted in Leucothoe cultivars with more vibrantly colored foliage and a more compact habit. Burning Love™, recently planted in the Seattle Japanese Garden, is one. Appropriately, it was developed from a Japanese species, Leucothoe keiskei, known there as iwa nanten. The species word keiskei honors Keisuke Ito (1803-1901) a Japanese physician and botanist.
Foliage and flowers of Leucothoe keiskei. (photo: Keisotyo, Wikimedia Commons)
Leucothoe keiskei, commonly called Japanese leucothoe, is a low-growing, broadleaf evergreen shrub native to moist, rocky cliffs in central Honshu. Plants mature at about two to three feet tall, eventually spreading much wider. Their leathery, glossy, dark green, ovate leaves are about three inches long by one inch wide. Although Leucothoe keiskei is the smallest Leucothoe species, its flowers are relatively large, up to 3/4 inch long. According to Joy Creek Nursery:
“There is much to admire about Leucothoe keiskei beyond the nodding bell-shaped white flowers. For example, the stems have a wonderful cascading rhythm to them. Their almost forward-pointing leaves alternate in a zigzag pattern down their lengths. In addition, the leaves are like polished leather. The rounded lance-shape of each leaf quickly narrows to a sharp point. Then, during the winter, the evergreen foliage turns red purple.”
Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™
Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™ is a very compact Japanese leucothoe cultivar with an elegant, upright-spreading habit and vibrant foliage that changes color throughout the year. It was discovered by Dutch grower Ron Van Opstal as a branch mutation of Leucothoe keiskei 'Royal Ruby’ and was given plant patent number PP27132 and the cultivar name Leucothoe keiskei 'Opstal 50', acknowledging Van Opstal’s discovery. However, retail nurseries and gardeners most often refer to it as Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™, its more memorable trademark name.
Plants mature at about 30 inches tall and wide, with gracefully arching branches and young stems that are bright red. The slender, glossy, evergreen foliage emerges in spring a bright ruby-red before maturing to dark green, finally changing in autumn to deep burgundy purple, a vibrant color that’s retained throughout the winter. Nurseries and marketing materials usually fail to mention flowers—or sometimes simply note that the white flowers are considered insignificant.
The burgundy purple winter foliage and red young stems of Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™. (photo: Plant Addicts)
Leucothoe keiskei Burning Love™ grows best in part shade in rich, slightly acidic, well-drained organic soil, but will tolerate a wide range of soil types. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (minimum temperature -10 degrees Fahrenheit), it has no major pest or disease problems. A lovely, easy-care plant that requires minimal pruning, it’s an excellent choice for planting in rock or woodland gardens, at the front of shady mixed borders, or in large containers.
I’m looking forward to seeing how well the three young Burning Love™ specimens will do in the Seattle Japanese Garden’s challenging clay soils. Even now, when they’ve lost their vivid winter coloration, I find them very attractive. I love their gracefully arching stems and the elegant shape and changing colors of their leaves. If they thrive, they will contribute to the year-round structure that broadleaf evergreens bring to Japanese gardens. I hope that, like our beloved Japanese maples, their attractive foliage and its transformations will invite visitors to appreciate each season’s evanescent beauty.
Corinne Kennedy is a Garden Guide, a frequent contributor to the Seattle Japanese Garden blog, and retired garden designer.