Korean Sweetheart Tree
Euscaphis japonica
A tree that puts on its best show in October
Most small trees give you flowers in spring and then spend the rest of the year being green. The Korean sweetheart tree does it backwards.
In late summer the seed capsules ripen and split open into bright red hearts, each holding a few glossy black seeds. They hang on into fall, past the point where most of the garden has given up. It’s the reason for the common name, and it’s the reason Greg Mason, our nursery manager, calls it one of his favorites.
Then winter arrives and the bark takes over. Gray or brown, sometimes beige, developing white striping with age.
It’s a small tree worth walking outside to look at in January, too!
WNC & the Korean Sweetheart Tree Connection
J.C. Raulston brought this one into the American landscape trade in 1985. He ran the arboretum at NC State that now carries his name, and he spent his career finding underused trees and getting them into Southeastern gardens.
That work broadened what’s available to growers across our region, this tree included. Most people have never laid eyes on one.
Where to put a Korean Sweetheart Tree
This is a specimen tree, not a screen or a hedge. It earns a spot where you’ll actually see it: near a patio, along a walk, at the edge of a woodland border where afternoon light comes through filtered.
At 10 feet wide with tiered branching, it works in a courtyard or a small yard.
Give it room to show the layered habit rather than crowding it into a bed.
Come See Our Entire Tree Collection
Greg and the whole Winding Stair team are on-site and ready to help you find the perfect specimen trees & shrubs for your yard. Whether you saw something in this video you love or you’re not sure where to start- we’ve got you covered.
📍 57 Saunders Road, Franklin, NC 28734
📞 828-369-9778
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