Darunta, a tropical powerhouse, the golden dewdrop plant is a fast-growing tropical shrub with beautiful blooms and fantastic foliage.Grown primarily for its bountiful blue blooms, many varieties of duranta also have highly ornamental golden foliage.
With its brilliant blue chains of flowers, duranta is a stand-alone knockout. Each individual five-petaled bloom most commonly comes in a vibrant blue shade, often edged in white. There are also other varieties in lighter shades of violet-blue, and even some in bright white.
Duranta is an extremely easy-to-grow shrub or annual, depending on your location. These plants thrive in well-drained, moist, fertile soils. They are also very tolerant of sandy soils. In containers, give these plants a standard, well-drained potting mix, and add some slow-release fertilizer.
Duranta has an extremely fast growth habit. In many cases, this will necessitate frequent pruning in order to keep plants looking their best. The overall habit of duranta tends to be semi-weeping, but you can keep the plant manicured to rounded shrubs.
Some varieties can also have small thorns on the branches—another good reason to keep them away from paths. Because of the many berries these plants produce, they can become invasive in tropical areas, so check with local authorities if you have any concerns.