This shrub is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
• Flowering period: May to June
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  In May and June the arching stems of this suckering, deciduous shrub are smothered with masses of small, deep pink, trumpet-like flowers. It makes a graceful backdrop to a sunny mixed or shrub border, and thrives in a wide range of soil conditions, including chalk.
  
  
• Garden care: Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant. Once the plant has developed a good-sized clump, thin out the stems by cutting back 1 in 3 of the older, flowering stems to their base. This should be done after they have finished flowering in midsummer.