Devil’s walking stick, Aralia spinosa

Devil’s walking stick is an interesting shrub both for its summer blooming and for its large pointy leaves.

Devil’s walking stick facts

Name – Aralia spinosa
Family – Araliaceae
Type – shrub

Height – 16 to 25 feet (3 to 8 meters)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – ordinary

Foliage – deciduous
Flowering – July to August

Although many different varieties grow across the world (around 40 of them), caring for it is always similar and in every case a cinch.

Planting devil’s walking stick

Fall or spring are the best seasons for planting with a slight preference for fall, as this lets the plant develop a sufficient root system before the onslaught of winter.

• Follow our advice on planting shrubs.

Pruning devil’s walking stick

It isn’t necessary to prune it.

You may reduce the size of the branches or balance their growth at the beginning of spring or in fall after the blooming.

All there is to know about the devil’s walking stick

Devil’s walking stick, also called “Hercules’ club” or “thorny angel”, is a shrub that is suited to most climate types and almost any soil configuration.

It’s blooming is insignificant, but the leaves shine in a wide range of beautiful colors in fall.

Read also:

• Advice on how to prune shrubs
• Ideas of flowered shrubs for a hedge
• Hedges, great barriers against diseases
• Shrubs that flower in the summer