The pearlbush is putting on an early show of flower in the Woodland Garden.
A member of the rose family (Rosaceae) Exochorda racemosa ssp. serratifolia is the only species within this genera. It is an early-flowering species occurring in central Asia, China and southern Russia, where it grows in open woodland, slopes and stream banks to a height of 2.5m. The elliptic leaves are serrated from the middle of the leaf to the apex, and take on golden tones in autumn. E. racemosa ssp. serratifolia produces masses of pearl-like buds in late winter and early spring, hence the common name, which open to produce star-shaped flowers borne in terminal racemes. This is an easy species in cultivation, and while it grows in most soils it resents shallow chalk.