LeucothoeLeucothoeFrom KC blogger Judy Aull:

Most gardens have shade -- mine has more than its share. The tall pines and understory redbuds that circle my garden create a setting of dense woodland shade. It’s challenging to find just the right plants for the right spot. On one of my trips to a garden center, I literally stumbled across a big pot of fronds covered in pointed, leatherlike dark green leaves. It was love at first sight -- it was leucothoe. Since that time, it has brightened my winter landscape with its evergreen quality and produced fragrant white flowers each spring. I consider this plant my all-time favorite.

Leucothoe fontanesian, (Drooping Leucothoe), though little-known and underused in this part of the country (commonly found in eastern gardens) is an effective specimen plant, is good for mass plantings, works well in a naturalized setting with wildflowers and is very adaptable to heavy shade. It is a graceful, fountainlike plant, which grows from 3’ to 5’ tall and as wide. It can be used as a “facer” plant under taller shrubs or as a backdrop for smaller plants. It prefers moist, well-drained acid soil that is high in organic matter.

I feel it is a plant for all seasons. The winter garden can be ornamented with the plants’ glossy dark evergreen leaves, and white, fragrant flowers, similar to lily-of-the-valley, appear in spring on its stems.

Leucothoe is considered to be mostly trouble-free. The only advice I would offer to prevent occasional leaf spot is to avoid stress to the plant with too much water or too much sun.