PlantFiles: Golden Dew Drop, Sky Flower, Pigeon Berry
Duranta erecta

A self-admitted plant-aholic, I saw this plant for the first time in full-flower in a 10" hanging basket at the SF Floral Mart in '06. Wow! Took it home and expected to have to baby it. Didn't need to. I did move it up a pot size as it was a bit crowded and I was having too water frequently. Had it in sun to almost full shade (good reflected light) and it stays blooming. I water when the leaves just start to dull (before wilt). Not knowing better, I kept deadheading the scapes as they got longer so I never got to see the berries that I had no idea came. I even really pruned the thing back pretty hard in Feb and it's starting to flower again now (early June). Think I have a few cuttings going from semi-hardwood clippings. What a great find!

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area our Duranta survived an abnormal 5-day freeze with temps as low as 21 and has come back with incredible vigor. We think that the flowers' strong fragrance is a reminder of chocolate syrup from our childhood called Bosco with a slightly artificial chocolate and vanilla scent.

These plants can be pruned as needed to maintain a low heighth and compact growth habit. They can otherwise tend to throw off long, dangling, cascading arms which can be nice in some settings where the plant can grow tall and unchecked, but the plant is not harmed at all by pruning close to the main stem to encourage a bushier look.

Jeremy

I have had no trouble with this plant . It gets afternoon sun and seems to be able to take the Florida heat and humidity very well. It has continued to bloom all summer without any pest problems. Easy care and heat tolerant with pretty blooms , couldn't ask for more!

I love this beautiful plant but in our zone ( 8b) they freeze to the ground...They generally reemerge but in 2005 they were hit by a second freeze just as they were coming back..This killed ours..It's so pretty we're trying again and we'll mulch more heavily this year...

The flowers of this tropical shrub have a wonderful fragrance....that smells like to me, a mixture of vanilla and lavender. Butterflies love the flowers of this member of the verbena family.

I have several of the variegated variety in limited shade. The plants are growing profusely, both tall and full. The foliage coloration is gorgeous...so it' s serving well as a landscape planting. But after three years not a single bloom ever!!! The standard variety plants in the area all have blooms. Is there a way to "force" this variety?

I had this plant in the ground and it did wonderfully for at least 7 months of the year it was in bloom and I was truly amazed by it I loved the color it gave my back yard!

I've been growing this in a pot since I'm afraid to commit it to the ground for fear the deer would eat it. Deer are a big problem in my yard. I've also found that the cuttings root easily in water.

I have a couple of these, one in full sun and one in partial shade (I am in USDA Zone 9b.) Mine have done great! There was some die-back from a winter where we had temperatures down to 25° F but the plants have come back fantastically - no problems I'm aware of.

I own and operate a nursery in northern Florida (USDA Zone 8b. ) We live in a valley and the lows can get down to 12°F. In this zone, it dies to the ground and comes up every year without mulching. The soil here is all sand here with no clay underlay. This plant seems to do very well in a morning sun/late afternoon sun but does not like full afternoon sun from mid-June through September. The leaves droop to conserve moisture.

It's very low maintenance and very showy, although it does have thorns.

Very attractive native, but it needs to be heavily pruned once it's loaded up with golden berries or it will quit blooming. The good part is you can prune it with a machete and it comes back better than ever.

The butterflies pass on the other flowers in my garden to drink the nectar from these plants. I've never seen a plant attract such a wide variety and so many butterflies. Keep well watered. Mine droop when they are thirsty.

The plant is beautiful, almost always blooming and has golden berries on it at the same time. It provides nectar to butterflies, bees and hummers. It's fruit is a favorite for songbirds. No pest bother it as far as I know. Great plant! Brenda

Can tolerate some salt conditions. Flowers all year. Golden berries appear after bloom. Attracts Butterflies.

I live in zone 10 and have this plant in several locations throughout my yard. It blooms best in full sun. However, I have them in shade areas as well, and they still seem to do well, (less blooms). They cascade wonderfully. They come in both regular and variegated leaf forms. The variegated species seems to have many more thorns and seems to grow larger. This species is best placed out of harms way, but not forgotten about, it is gorgeous. Golden Dewdrops are fast growers, drought tolerant and extremely beautiful. In addition to their blooms they cascade with golden seedpods in clusters. Keep trimmed from the bottom bleeders and you will enjoy a truly fabulous new addition to your garden. Here in zone 10 after all frost danger, I clip them to the ground and within a short time you will have your Golden dewdrop back good as new. Enjoy