Plants growing in too much shade often get lanky and sparse.
Water
Duranta plants require moderate water, especially before they become established.
Plants growing outdoors need the equivalent of about an inch of rain per week.
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
Whengrowing in containers, water your duranta when the top inch of the soil feels dry.
Temperature and Humidity
The duranta likes it hot; even triple-digit temperatures won’t slow it down.
Duranta plants do well in both dry and humid conditions.
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
They also tolerate the salty air ofbeach climates.
Birds eagerly eat the berries.
Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds visit the flowers for their nectar.
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
Duranta is commonly cultivated as hedges and ornamental plants.
Wear gloves when pruning; some varieties have small thorns.
Duranta plants root easily from softwood stem cuttings.
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
Choose a large, 16-inch pot for this rapidly growing plant, and double-check the pot has good drainage.
Pot your duranta plant using any quality bagged potting soil mix.
Duranta has a vigorous branching taproot system; keep the root ball intact when repotting.
The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy
Younger plants have few or no spines.
Overwintering
Potted duranta plants should be brought indoors before outdoor temps dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grow them in a sunny window or provide plenty of artificial light.
Gwengoat / Getty Images
Pruning may be required to reduce the size of potted plants before you bring them indoors.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Duranta plants are susceptible to whitefly infestations.
Spray with a simple mixture of household dish soap and water; horticultural soaps and oils will also work.
Eve Livesley
It is also prone to anthracnose.
Fungal spores spread through watering.
To manage the disease, remove and destroy diseased parts of the plant.
‘Alba’ durantaZen Rial / Getty Images
Apply a fungicide for a seven to 10-day interval.
How Long Does Duranta Bloom?
What Do Duranta Flowers Look and Smell Like?
‘Golden Edge’ durantaPhilippe Lejeanvre / Getty Images
Duranta flowers are tubular with five lobes, blooming with blue, lavender, purple, and white flowers.
The flowers have a slight vanilla-like fragrance.
Deadheading Duranta Flowers
Deadhead duranta flowers to encourage another set of blooms.
This is no cause for worry, as new “indoor leaves” will soon begin sprouting.
Yellowing Leaves
Duranta leaves turn yellow when the plant has insufficient light or nutrients.
If keeping the plant indoors, place the plant in the sunniest window.
Supplement with an inside grow light to give the plant the full-spectrum light it needs.
Some purplePhlox paniculatavarieties have similar-looking flower clusters to the duranta plant.
In fact, gardeners in northern growing zones can try growing phlox as an alternative to duranta plant.
Garden phlox blooms in the summer, reaching a mature height of about 3 to 4 feet.
Unlike duranta, which doesn’t tolerate frost, garden phlox readily survives in zones 4 to 8.
Duranta plants are easy to grow in warm weather and full sun.
Many gardeners have success bringing containers indoors to continue growing their duranta plant as a winter houseplant.
North Carolina State Extension.
Subsongsang R, Jiraungkoorskul W.An updated review on phytochemical properties of golden dewdrop duranta erecta.Pharmacogn Rev.
2016;10(20):115-117.
