Stachyurus praecox var. Matsuzakii....I love this plant, I just can't take a picture of it that shows what I want to show!

I saw my first Stachyurus when I first worked in the Asian Collections 17 years ago. I was floored. The plants are spectacular in late winter when the buds on the pendulous racemes swell and an entire large shrub is covered with vertical strings of green pearls. I took the lesson with me and, I put some number of these relatively unknown plants into....well a lot of my commercial landscapes. It is a striking plant in winter as the buds swell and through spring when the flowers open.

This particular plant (which lives across from the Asian Parking Lot) has good fall color s a bonus.