Dipelta floribunda arrived in Western gardens in 1902, when the first living roots were shipped from central and western China to Veitch's nurseries in Britain. It has never quite reached the mainstream, which is a genuine loss: few large shrubs offer this particular combination of fragrant late-spring flowers, interesting summer structure, and bark that exfoliates in warm mahogany strips through the winter months. The genus name gestures toward its distinctive anatomy — from the Greek words for "two" and "shield," describing the paired bracts that wrap around the developing fruit.

In good fertile soil with full sun, Rosy Dipelta will reach 7 to 10 feet tall and 9 to 12 feet wide over a decade or two, eventually maturing into a substantial informal screen or shrub border anchor. The flowers, borne in late spring clusters, are pale pinkish-white with a faint foxglove resemblance and carry genuine fragrance. Fall color in yellow and orange is modest, but the exfoliating bark more than compensates as an off-season feature. Prune out the oldest stems after flowering to keep the shrub vigorous. It has no serious pest or disease problems and handles afternoon shade, though it blooms most freely in full sun.