The Duranta bush (Duranta erecta) — also known as pigeon berry, sky flower and golden dewdrop — is an easy-to-grow exotic plant native to tropical zones in the U.S. It lives for about 15 years, likes annual pruning of its dead branches and makes a good companion for impatiens.

The Duranta bush grows as an evergreen, rounded shrub or small tree in U.S. In colder climates, gardeners plant it as an annual in the garden or in containers. The Duranta bush grows quickly up to 15 feet high and wide as a shrub, but it tops out at about 5 feet tall when planted as an annual.

The Duranta bush’s fragrant lavender, purple or white flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your landscape. The small flowers dangle from thorny, weeping branches with light gray bark among glossy, green, oval-shaped leaves.

The ideal spot for a Duranta bush is a moist place with full sun. This shrub attains its optimum size in any kind of well-drained soil with an acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline pH, as long as it’s rich in organic matter.

The Duranta bush resists disease but is susceptible to a variety of bugs, including scale insects, mealy bugs and nematodes. A scale insect infestation isn’t usually lethal, and you can control their populations by spraying the entire plant with horticultural oil in the dormant season.

** The leaves and berries of the duranta bush are poisonous**