If no harm is imminent, I will often delay a task that must be done, but maybe it can wait until tomorrow (or a year from tomorrow). And so, pruning of the paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) in the lower rear garden was not accomplished a year ago, and here it is, now bumping against the stone path.

While my wife has strict standards against flopping plants, I don’t mind and even encourage ones that stray slightly over the paths and a bit more. But, I planned to chop the paperbush back a year ago for good reason. The eighteen inches it will grow this spring will obstruct the narrow walkway, so the deadline is here, but not until the flowers fade.

I’m off to a good start. I cut a handful of branches to bring indoors for a smell test. I can’t smell the very fragrant blooms outdoors, but maybe indoors? Of course, I had my doubts, and sure enough, I can’t smell a thing, but I get get credit from Barbara for being so thoughtful.

Okay, I make too much of this minor project. The pruning will take minutes, and when it’s done, it should be hard to tell that anything was done except the path will be clear. At least, for another year.

A large part of my reluctance is that I’m quite certain this is the world record largest paperbush. Well, there are three of roughly equal spread, so it is quite an achievement to have the three largest of anything. As you expect, there is no evidence this is a fact, but references claim the paperbush’s eventual width to reach six feet, and three are easily twenty feet wide.

No one who sees them has ever seen paperbushes so large, but I must admit, many of these visitors have never seen paperbushes at all. And this is a problem. While its month of glorious bloom announces spring’s arrival, its large green leaves are pleasant enough on the dome shaped shrub. Don’t be fooled to read that the autumn foliage color is an attraction. It’s not, and from yellowing to bare stems takes only a day or two.

But then, slowly expanding silvery buttons (the flower buds, above) stand out from the bare stems through the winter months. And, I watch and wait. On occasion, a bit of color might show by late January, though typically, it will be two weeks later. And this year, there was no color until the first week of March. But then, it came quickly, and today, there is no more splendid bloom. If I could smell it (or anything), that would be all the more reason that paperbush is a must-have shrub. So, get one, if you can find it, and why it’s so rarely offered is a mystery.