Bush Clover

Looking ahead to a much anticipated fall and winter but also noticing plants that manage to shine despite all they’ve been through in this wacky weather year. One such beauty: Lespedeza thunbergii, the bush clover, a giant of a perennial that blooms in August and September in a cascade of rosy-purple.

Lespedeza thunbergii, a legume or pea relative as the shape of its flowers and foliage quickly gives away, is hardy in Zones 4-9. Give it sun, and not much else—well, except a very large space to grow into, as the arching stems of a mature bush clover will reach 6 feet across or wider, and stands nearly 6 feet high.