- Type: flowering
- Flowering Period: May, June, July, August, September
- Height: 15-25cm
- Color: White, Pink, Red
- Perennial
- Winters
- Sun loving
- Loving
Spirea is considered to be one of the most beautiful shrubs. It is widely used to decorate the local area. It is unpretentious, resistant to winter frosts. Planting and caring for the plant usually does not cause problems. This genus of ornamental shrubs has about 90 species, each of which in the flowering season can be an excellent decoration of the site. Spiraea planted in well-lit areas, fertilize the soil. What types of spirea are most popular? How to plan a landing spot? How to care for the plant? What problems can an amateur gardener face?
Appearance and biological features
Plants of this genus can grow both small (up to 15 cm) and tall (up to 2.5 m). The branches of the bush are erect or creeping. Color ranges from light to dark brown. The roots are shallow, fibrous. During flowering, the spirea is covered with numerous small flowers in inflorescences of various shapes. The color of the petals is from snow white to raspberry. Spirea inflorescences can be located both throughout the shoot, and on its upper part or at the end of the branch. The plant propagates by seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush, layering.
Spirea does not need pruning. It is carried out exclusively for decorative purposes in order to give the bushes a more aesthetic appearance. The crown of the plant can be thick and dense or slightly "sparse", but it always looks attractive. Branches bloom to the ground, so there is no unsightly effect of "bare legs".
The shrub is hardy, adapts well to various climatic conditions, so it can be grown not only in the south or in the middle lane, but also in the northern regions. If in severe frosts the spirea freezes, then after pruning it is completely restored and blooms in the same year. For the normal development of the plant, a few hours a day of direct sun, feeding, good soil is enough. You can’t hide him for the winter
Spirea blooms on shoots that grow during the same year, so pruning does not spoil its appearance.
Varieties of shrubs of the genus Spirea
All plants of the genus Spirea can be divided into two large groups: spring and summer flowering. Flowering first abundant, but not for long. Shrubs of the second group do not bloom simultaneously, for two months. Flowers have more saturated shades. Low-growing varieties are often used to design alpine slides.
Spring flowering varieties
Spring-flowering varieties are covered with flowers in mid-May. Their feature is that they are all white. Shades may vary, but the color is white. Plants begin to bloom in the second year of life, are very bushy. The following shrubs are considered the most popular:
Gray spirea. The plant received its name not because of the color of the petals (they are white, like all spring-flowering species), but because of the gray-green color of the leaves. This is the most common type of spirea. The flowering period is from May to mid-June. Inflorescences are located along the entire length of the shoot.
Special attention of gardeners enjoys a gray spirea "Grefshaym". The plant reaches 1.5-2 m, has a spreading crown and boiled-white flowers with a diameter of up to 1 cm, collected in inflorescences-umbrellas.
Gray Spirea Grefshaym "gets along well" with Nippon and Argout spirea, broom, viburnum, conifers
Spirea Wangutta. This hybrid of Cantonese and three-lobed spirea reaches 2 m. The flowers are small - up to 0.6 cm, collected in hemispherical inflorescences. Dark green above and dull gray below leaves in the fall acquire a reddish tint. This variety can bloom twice - in early June and in August.
Spirea Argument. The bushes of the plant reach 1.5-2 m, have a beautiful shape. During flowering (from late May to mid-June), the spirea argument is similar to a white fragrant waterfall.
Summer-flowering varieties
They inflorescences appear at the ends of young shoots. At the same time, last year's branches die off. Summer-flowering species are represented by varieties of Japanese spirea, loosestrife, Blumalda and others. The flowers may have a pink or red color.
First, let's talk about Japanese spirea. Her bushes reach 1-1.5 m in height. Leaves - green above and dull gray below, oblong, ovoid; fall yellow or red. The flowers are pink-red, collected in panicle-corymbose inflorescences. The plant blooms up to 45 days. The following varieties are common:
- Shirobana Distinctive features of the variety are small leaves (2 cm) and white or pink flowers. It blooms in July-August.
- Goldflame. The leaves of the shrub change color depending on the time of year - from yellow to copper-orange. Blossoms in red and pink with small flowers.
- Crispa. It blooms from July to the end of summer. The flowers are small, soft pink, collected in flat umbrellas.
- Little Princesses. Low-growing (up to 0.6 m), slowly growing variety. The flowers are large - up to 4 cm in diameter, red-pink, collected in corymbose inflorescences. The plant blooms in mid-summer - in June-July.
- Golden Princesses. This is one of the varieties of "Little Princesses." The variety has a greater bush height - up to 1 m, yellow leaves.
Japanese Spirea is one of the most common, but far from the only summer-flowering species. Also deservedly popular are:
- Spirea Bumalda. This is a hybrid view. Plants reach a height of 0.5-0.8 m, have erect shoots and very beautiful leaves - in summer green, and in autumn yellow, red with a purple tint. The flowers are pink.
- Among Bumald’s spiers, the most common variety is Goldflame. The shrub reaches a height of 0.8 m. If the plant is planted in the sun, then its leaves change color depending on the season - from delicate golden-orange to copper-red. The leaves of bushes planted in the shade do not undergo such changes.
- Spirea loosestrife. The variety is distinguished by long spiky leaves (up to 10 cm) and white or pink flowers. Inflorescences can reach a length of 20 cm.
- Spirea Douglas. The flowering period is July-September. The flowers are dark pink. Bushes grow to 1.5 m tall.
- Spirea Billard. This is a hybrid of loosestrife and Douglas spirea. Bushes are high - up to 2 m. The flowers are pink, collected in long inflorescences. It blooms from mid-summer to frost.
Even before the final choice of a place for planting a bush, one should determine the desired size and type of plant. Varieties vary in size: they can be compact and fit on a small area, and can grow up and to the sides. Therefore, for solitary planting, design of hedges and alpine slides, different types of plants are chosen.
Spirea "Little Princess" looks great in combination with other varieties of spirea, conifers, lavender. This type is suitable for the design of flower beds, rock gardens, the space near ponds
Billard's Spirea is frost-resistant and shade-tolerant, but it is better to plant it in well-lit areas
Spirea Wangutta gives numerous basal shoots and is perfect for a single planting.
For hedges, you should choose varieties that give little basal shoots and lend themselves well to pruning. Alpine slides can be decorated with slowly growing varieties. And for a single planting, it is better to choose plants with developed basal shoots that occupy a large area. For rockeries and rocky gardens, dwarf varieties are used. By choosing several varieties that bloom at different times, the gardener can achieve the flowering of spirea from spring to autumn cold.
Features of the propagation of spirea
The shrub propagates both generatively (by seeds) and vegetatively (by cuttings, layering, dividing the bush). The first method is laborious. It is mainly used by breeders when they are working on breeding new varieties. When propagated by seeds, planting material is collected in the fall, sown in special pallets with earth and germinated under a perforated film. Sprouts can be planted in open ground in spring. The soil should be well fertilized.
Generative propagation is recommended only for sprays of the first group. Hybrid varieties do not provide complete seed material. To test the germination of seeds, make a trial sowing
Vegetative propagation can be of three types.
Option # 1 - cuttings
For him, shoots 10-15 cm long without flowers are selected, treated with a fungicidal solution, after which they are ready for planting in the ground. It is best to plant spirea indoors. The soil is moistened, water is sprayed so that the air humidity is about 85%, and the stalk is covered with a film.
The film is pre-prepared - holes are punctured for air intake. Place it 30-40 cm from the planted cuttings.
Option # 2 - layering propagation
The easiest and most effective method. The percentage of survival of seedlings obtained using layering is very high. The branches of the spirea bend, attach to the ground and fall asleep with soil. Quite quickly, the branches take root, after which they can be cut from the bush and transplanted a finished seedling.
Option # 3 - dividing the bush
This manipulation is usually carried out in autumn or spring. If you need to divide the bush in the spring, then you should choose the period until the first buds appear. Spring reproduction of spirea has both significant advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is the quick inclusion of the plant in growth, the disadvantage is the increased risk of infection of the root system due to warm weather. To solve this problem, the seedlings are soaked in a fungicidal solution.
General rules for planting spirea
Spirea should be planted in slightly acidic, and preferably in pH-neutral soils. The soil should be rich in nutrients, with normal aeration. It is better to plant spring-flowering spirea in the fall, and summer-flowering spiraea take root well in both spring and autumn. Many gardeners are of the opinion that the best month for planting summer-flowering varieties is September. Great neighbors for spirea can be conifers - spruce, juniper, thuja.
Before planting, spirea cuttings are soaked for several hours in a fungicide solution
Each variety of spirea has individual characteristics, but there are general planting rules for all types. If you stick to them, the plant will take root well and will develop normally in the future. Recommendations of experienced gardeners:
- Planting material must be treated with fungicide.
- Damaged parts of the cuttings should be removed.
- It is best planted in leafy or soddy soil. If the soil is poor, it is fertilized by adding peat or a mixture of leafy soil with sand.
- A drainage layer with a thickness of 15-20 cm should be equipped. Broken brick, sheet soil, peat with sand are suitable for this.
- Plant the stalk to a depth of about 0.5 m.
- The root neck should be flush with the ground or deepened by 1-2 cm.
- The ideal weather for landing is cloudy, rainy.
- After planting the plant in the ground, it is watered, sprinkled with peat or sawdust.
The pit for spirea should be one third larger than the root system of the plant. They dig it in 2-4 days and let it stand. Then they equip the drainage, lower the plant into the pit, throw it with earth and compact it. If spiraea is propagated by dividing the bush, then the plant is removed from the ground, put into water to separate the soil, and then cut into pieces by secateurs, each of which should have a good root lobe and a couple of shoots.
Cuttings should be planted first in a pot or pallet indoors, and only then - in open ground
Spirea Care - Easy
To make the bush look attractive, it is cut and a crown is formed. Spherical and pyramidal bushes are very beautiful. The specific "haircut" is chosen by the owner, focusing on the general style of the design of the site. Pruning does not affect plant development. Remove weak and old (7-14 years) branches. They are cut to the stump. It is better to cut the crown in the spring, until the leaves appear. If pruned in mid-summer, then the spirea may bloom again in the fall.
After pruning, the soil is watered with manure diluted in water. The mixture should be poured under the roots. You can also fertilize with a solution of superphosphate. Proportions: 8-10 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. Also suitable is the Kemira Universal. At 1 sq. M. make 100 g of granular funds. Spirea does not need intensive watering, it is enough to maintain the plant during periods of drought. 1-2 buckets of water is quite enough for the normal life of the bush. For the winter, the roots can be covered with a 10-15-cm layer of foliage.
Spirea can do without pruning, but it is better to cut it regularly to achieve a beautiful look and well-being of the plant.
Spirea is susceptible to fungal diseases - ascochitosis, ramulariosis, septoria. You can identify them by the appearance of spots. It is recommended to spray the plant with Bordeaux mixture, Fundazol or colloidal sulfur. The main thing is to process the shrub before or after flowering.
Of the pests, the spider mite and aphids can be the most unpleasant. Signs of the “work” of the tick are the appearance of holes on the leaves, their withering and falling, the web. You can deal with the pest by spraying with phosphamide or karbofos. The presence of aphids can be determined by bitten and withered inflorescences. Pyrimor or similar agents are used to combat aphids.
Spirea can be attacked by snails. You can learn how to deal with them from the video, which describes the features of pruning and care of the plant.
