Glorybower (Clerodendrum)

Clerodendrum indicum, the Turk's turban, is a bold, tropical-looking perennial that stages two very different shows in a single season. First come tall, nearly unbranched stems, ringed with long narrow leaves and topped in summer by great airy sprays of long-tubed white flowers, shooting outward like a burst of fireworks, which earns the plant its other names, tube flower and skyrocket. Then, as the blooms fade, the real surprise arrives.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

8–10 ft.

Spread

6–8 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Perennial

A native of China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and parts of South Asia, Clerodendrum trichotomum has been cultivated in Western gardens since the mid-1800s, when the shrub was introduced from Japan and quickly adopted across Europe and the American South for uncanny late-season performance. This is the hardiest member of the genus and, for our money, the most theatrical.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

12–15 ft.

Spread

10–12 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Shrub

Traditional use

heart support, pain relief, topical applications