Lespedeza belongs to the Fabaceae family. Thunbergii in particular is a hardy shrub, with dense vegetation borne in long flexible upwards and then down-turning branches and rapid growth. Its deciduous downy green foliage is joined by flowers late in the season, from August to October. It is suitable for ordinary soil and must be pruned back to ground level each year at the beginning of winter. Lespedeza can be grown as a specimen, in groups on a bank or in large containers.