Evergreen shrub Temple Bells shines in the spring

Sometimes it seems that spring is all about the flowers, but trees and shrubs play a significant role in the landscape waking up from winter.

At my house, an early bloomer I look forward to seeing each year is Temple Bells, a beautiful evergreen shrub that shines in late winter and early spring.

Temple Bells produces large, waterfall-like clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers that hang gracefully beneath the foliage. The blooms resemble delicate strings of little porcelain bells that last for weeks.

I especially like how the plant displays these flowers. Instead of sitting upright on top of the plant, the clusters hanging down create a soft, cascading look. When the plant is covered in blooms, it almost looks like a living chandelier in the landscape.

The foliage adds another layer of beauty throughout the year.

The leaves are an ovate shape, or basically egg-shaped, with a broad base that tapers to a narrower, rounded tip. These leaves emerge in attractive shades of red to bronze before maturing into a rich, glossy dark green.

That color transition gives the shrub interest well beyond the flowering season and helps it stand out, even when it’s not in bloom.

Temple Bells is a small- to medium-sized evergreen shrub with a slow growth rate, which makes it easy to manage in the landscape. It works well as a specimen plant, in mixed shrub borders or as part of a foundation planting. It grows slowly and maintains a naturally attractive shape, rarely requiring much pruning.

Another interesting fact about Temple Bells is that it is a member of the blueberry family.

Like many of its relatives, it prefers acidic, well-drained soil and appreciates soil that is rich in organic matter. If you already grow plants like azaleas, camellias or gardenias successfully, Temple Bells will likely feel right at home in your landscape.

One of its greatest strengths is its ability to tolerate shade. While it appreciates some morning sun, Temple Bells performs beautifully in filtered light and even does quite well in shady areas of the garden where many flowering shrubs struggle.

Temple Bells is a wonderful choice for gardeners looking to add year-round structure along with beautiful, early-season blooms. It is elegant, dependable and a real standout when very little else is flowering in the landscape.

Early spring plants like this remind me why I love Southern gardening so much.