Disporum longistylum ‘Night Heron’

Chinese Fairy Bells Colchicaceae

A superb woodland perennial from Dan Hinkley’s era at Heronswood, ‘Night Heron’ is one of those plants that looks almost tropical when it first emerges. Tall, arching, bamboo-like stems carry deep chocolate-purple to almost black young foliage, gradually softening to greenish-purple as the season progresses. In late spring, delicate pendent bells of creamy white to pale yellow hang from the stems, followed by attractive purple-black berries in autumn. The RHS now correctly places this cultivar under D. longistylum, although it has long been sold as D. cantoniense ‘Night Heron’ and D. var. kawakamii ‘Night Heron’. A 2011 RHS nomenclatural paper specifically concluded that ‘Night Heron’ is better placed under D. longistylum. 

The cultivar was selected by the American plantsman Dan Hinkley, founder of Heronswood Nursery, and its dark emerging foliage is the feature that makes it so memorable. The name ‘Night Heron’ is particularly apt: the dark spring colouring has been likened to the plumage of the Black-crowned Night Heron, although the name may also contain a nod to Heronswood Nursery.  Happiest in cool, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade, it slowly forms a clump rather than becoming an aggressive spreader. An excellent structural plant beneath trees and shrubs, particularly where its dark spring growth can contrast with fresh green ferns and hostas. The RHS currently gives it an AGM and H6, making it considerably tougher than its exotic appearance suggests. 

Cultivar origin: Selected by Dan Hinkley, Heronswood Nursery, USA.
Distribution: Species native to Assam, Tibet and central China.
Flowering: May–June
Hardiness: H6, approximately −20 to −15°C
Height: 150–250 cm
Spread: 30–50 cm