Spirea nippon planting and care in the open field

Today, gardeners use a wide variety of crops to decorate their garden plots. Spirea is a common plant. This is a culture from the Pink family. It is appreciated not only for its spectacular decorative qualities, but also for its simplicity in growing. There is a wide variety of the most interesting and unusual varieties of culture. Spiraea, which are of Japanese origin, are especially popular. This is the nippon spirea.

Shrub description

Nippon Spirea is not as popular as many other varieties of the culture. However, the species is distinguished by its spectacular beauty and early flowering periods. Delicate white flowers can be found on the bush at the very beginning of summer or even at the end of May. Spirea nipponskaya is a shrub. Its height does not exceed 2 meters. The crown is dense, has a spherical shape. The crown diameter can be up to 4 meters. The branches are directed horizontally upward. The color of the branches is brown. The culture is compact in size.

Spirea is a very beautiful shrub

The shrub is distinguished by its decorative qualities from spring to late autumn. In early summer, white flowers with a yellowish-greenish tint appear. Although initially the buds have a purple hue. The diameter of the flower does not exceed 1 cm. The flowers are collected in inflorescences in the form of scutes. Flowering continues for a half month or more. The flowering is intense and abundant.

The sheet plate has a rounded shape. The leaf color is bright green. The leaves are up to 4.5 cm long. The rich green color remains until the middle of the autumn season.

The most popular cultivar is Snowmaund. This is a shrub up to 2 meters high. The crown is dense and spherical. Abundant flowering begins in early June. The flowers are white. They are collected in inflorescences in the form of scutes.

Another common variety of Nippon Spirea is Halwards Silver. It is a compact shrub species. Its height does not exceed 1 meter. The branches are densely covered with dark green leaves and white flowers, which are collected in inflorescences.

Healthy!

The plant is actively used by landscape designers. Spirea looks good in single and group plantings, and is also used to create hedges.The following plants can become partners of culture: mock orange, lilac, primroses, lilies of the valley, astilba, saxifrage.

Features of planting spirea

Spirea is an unpretentious culture. Even a beginner in gardening can handle the planting of shrubs.

Spirea nippon prefers to grow in areas well-lit by sunlight. However, partial shade is also suitable for growing a plant. But in the shade, it is better not to plant a shrub, since the flowering will be less abundant.

Spirea is not capricious to the composition of the soil. The soil must contain sand and peat, therefore, these components must be mixed with the ground when planting a nippon spirea. However, the crop does not grow well in wetlands and areas where the groundwater level is too high. Therefore, in this case, it will be necessary to provide high-quality drainage. For these purposes, expanded clay, broken brick or crushed stone are suitable. The thickness of the drainage layer must be at least 10 cm.

Planting seedlings is best done in early spring or mid-autumn. The elongated roots of the seedlings must be cut, but do it carefully - the cut must be even. The planting hole should be commensurate with the size of the root system. It is necessary to add sand and peat in equal proportions to the planting hole.

Important!

Immediately after planting, the spirea needs to be watered abundantly.

Features of Nippon Spirea care

Spirea fell in love with gardeners and landscape designers not only for decorativeness, but also for unpretentiousness. Culture care does not require special skills.

First of all, it is required to ensure the correct watering regime. In the summer, it is necessary to water the shrub at least 2 times a month. One bucket of water is enough for one bush. Young specimens need more frequent and plentiful watering.

Regularly after watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds. Immediately after planting, as well as subsequently, it is necessary to mulch the soil. It is advisable to use peat as mulch. The thickness of the mulched layer is about 7 cm.

Healthy!

Despite the fact that the nippon spirea is a frost-resistant culture, it is advisable to cover young specimens for the winter period. It is best to use peat or dry and fallen leaves as cover. The ends of the branches can freeze slightly. However, after winter, the shrub quickly recovers. However, in such a year, the flowering will not be as intense and plentiful.

If the soil is fertile, then the spirea can grow well without fertilizing. As a fertilizer, it is advisable to use mullein infusion and complex mineral fertilizers.

Nippon spirea is rarely affected by disease. Of the pests, the following can annoy:

• Aphid;
• Spider mite.

It is required to fight these pests with the help of insecticidal preparations.

Pruning

Pruning is an important and necessary step in growing a shrub. Pruning is required not only to shape the crown, but also to rejuvenate the spirea.

Cut off the nippon spirea immediately after flowering. Cutting off the faded shoots by half is required. With rejuvenating pruning, you can only remove old branches, or you can trim branches to a stump. The crown grows back quickly enough after the procedure.

Important!

The older the shrub, the more detailed the pruning should be.

Reproduction of spirea

The shrub is propagated by the following methods:

• Seed;
• Cuttings;
• Layers;
• By dividing the bush.

Only specific spireas are propagated by seeds, since varietal varieties do not retain varietal qualities during reproduction.

A simple breeding method is cuttings. Cuttings are carried out at the beginning of summer. For this, young shoots are used. The lower leaves must be cut off completely, and the top ones must be cut by ½. Cuttings need to be treated with a rooting stimulant. Cuttings are planted in containers filled with moistened sand. From above, the seedlings are covered with plastic wrap or glass.Containers must be kept in a shaded area. It is recommended to open the film regularly for spraying and airing the seedlings.

How to plant a delphinium? In our material, we will talk about this in detail.

Here our readers will learn about the cultivation of black elderberry on the site.

How to properly grow daisies from seeds? Read more about this here.

At the onset of the first frost, you will need to dig in containers with cuttings in the open field and leave there until spring. After rooting, the cuttings must be transplanted to a permanent place.

For reproduction by layering, you need to choose an escape, bend it to the ground and dig it in with earth. After rooting, the cuttings are separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent growth site. Usually, the layers take root very well in the future.

Thus, the nippon spirea is an unpretentious, early flowering variety. The culture blooms with white flowers with a greenish tint. The shrub is decorative during and after flowering. Nippon Spiraea is frost-resistant, prefers light and moderate watering.

Spirea, otherwise mistakenly called meadowsweet, is a perennial shrub. Currently, breeders have bred about a hundred species of spirea.

The plant is distinguished by its hardiness and the ability to adapt to any conditions in the open field. For Japanese spirea, it is enough to be in the open sun for only four hours to feel good in the ground. In appearance, it is a bush with a hemispherical crown. Some of its varieties have a lush crown, others - disheveled.

How and when does the spirea plant

Planting a bush in open ground is carried out either in early autumn, or at the very beginning of spring. Planting time usually depends on the selected bush variety. If the variety begins to bloom in the spring, then it is advisable to move it into open ground in the fall. If in the summer, then it is better if the spirea is planted in the spring. It is important to consider that flowering after planting in the soil occurs only after three years. Japanese spirea begins to bloom in July.

Usually, seedlings are purchased to decorate the site. Before planting in open ground, they must be carefully prepared.

First, you should check the root system of the future bush. Long roots are slightly pruned, damaged ones are removed. Secondly, you need to cut the stem by a third.

If you purchased a seedling for planting, the root system of which is closed, it is taken out of the container and watered well with water. If the clod of earth around the roots is very dense, then it is also soaked in water for about two hours. Only then can the seedling be moved into open ground.

Although spiraea is considered an unpretentious plant, you still need to choose the right place for planting.

Only then will she delight you with lush and bright flowering. The shrub loves the sun and loose fertile soil. With a clay composition of the soil, it is best to create a brick-sand drainage, the height of which will be 15 cm.

To create a beautiful landscape design, the spirea can be planted along the entire perimeter as a hedge. In this case, the distance from bush to bush must be at least 50 cm.

After you dug a hole, it needs to stand for a day before planting. Then a mixture of peat, turf and sand is introduced into it. The plant is planted in open ground, spreading the roots, and sprinkled with earth along the root collar. After that it is watered and mulched with peat.

Spirea care

When the planting of Japanese spirea in open ground is over, you just have to take care of the development of the bush in time. Care consists in watering.

This plant, being blooming in summer, needs more abundant watering than the spirea species that bloom early.

Care also includes fertilization. The shrub is fed no more than three times a season, although it is usually fertilized only twice. For feeding, it is best to use mineral complexes.You can also resort to the following fertilizer recipe: take 10 liters of liquid manure, 60 liters of water and just 10 grams of superphosphate.

Spirea care includes pruning. If the plant blooms in summer, then you need to cut it off in early spring.

If your shrub blooms in the spring, then prune it immediately after flowering.

Some gardeners say that Japanese spirea does not require pruning. On the one hand, this is true: even without cutting, it will bloom beautifully. On the other hand, the lack of such care can lead to her sloppy appearance.

To cut the plant correctly, you need to take into account the timing of the inception of its buds. There are two groups of shrubs. In the first, they are laid directly in the year of flowering, and in the second, in the previous year.

Japanese spirea varieties belong to the first group. It should be cut after a few years, thus rejuvenating the bush. Without this care, the old stems will tilt the entire bush down after a while, and the top of the Japanese spirea will dry out. It is a practice to completely cut off the top of the bush after four years of flowering.

If you nevertheless acquired the types of spiraea of ​​the second group, and these include wangutta spirea, long-bud and nippon, old shoots should be removed after seven years. Frozen branches are cut annually. Plants of this group have many shoots.

Japanese spirea tolerates frost well, so it does not need additional shelter for the winter in a temperate climate. And yet, in severe frosts, it can lose two-year-old shoots. Therefore, for the winter in northern latitudes, it is bent to the ground and covered with a layer of dry leaves. It is also better to protect species that were planted in the fall from winter cold. Some varieties can easily tolerate frosts of -50 degrees. But if your garden is located in an area where winters are very harsh, varieties such as jagged or white, it is better to still cover. They are less cold-resistant. There are types of spirea that can not only freeze branches, but also die in frosts of about -45 degrees. These include spiraea wangutta or Douglas. Therefore, it is better not to acquire these varieties at all for cultivation in northern latitudes.

Reproduction of the spirea bush

The plant can be propagated using seeds, layers or cuttings. The seed method is only suitable for non-hybrid varieties.

If you try to plant a seed of a hybrid in open ground, then the appearance of the plant will resemble the mother's very distantly.

Seeds are planted in the spring. It is important to prepare a place for the seed before planting. To do this, take a mixture of leafy earth and peat, moisten it, put a seed and mulch the soil. You will notice shoots within 10 days. So that they are not struck by the fungus, they use foundation treatment.

When propagated by seeds in the first year after germination, the plant will form only one shoot. Two months after planting, the spirea needs to be dived: removed from the soil, shortened the root system and planted again in open ground.

In one year, the shrub grows up to ten centimeters, but it will begin to bloom only after at least three years.

For propagation by cuttings, you need to take green cuttings or shoots in which lignification has occurred halfway. If you have chosen an early variety of spirea, it should be cut in early summer. Reproduction of Japanese spirea using cuttings is best done in July.

After you have received the cutting, you should plant it in a mixture of river sand and peat. It should be watered five times a day. And in the room in which the planting material is located, you need to create high humidity. The stalk dives in the spring.

Before flowering, the plant is propagated by layering. To do this, the branches, concentrated along the perimeter, are bent to the bottom and sprinkled with soil. With regular watering, more shrubs of the plant will appear in the fall.For a successful overwintering, the layers are sprinkled with leaves. And in the spring they can already be planted separately.

Varieties of spirea and their varieties

Despite the popularity of Japanese spirea, you can pay attention to its other types.

Early bushes include spiraea wangutta, gray, arguta, nipponskaya.

Gray spirea is actually white, but so named because of the grayish tint of the leaves. It is a hybrid of two varieties. The height of the bush usually reaches 180 cm. Flowering begins in mid-May and ends in mid-June. It is very popular among gardeners. Especially her variety "Grefsheim", the crown diameter of which reaches two meters. White flowers are collected in umbrellas and reach a centimeter in diameter.

Spirea wangutta grows up to two meters. This is also the diameter of the crown. The dark green leaves are bluish on the underside, and by autumn they acquire a beautiful orange tint. White flowers cover the entire branch. The variety begins to bloom in June, and may recur in August.

Spiraea wangutta of the Pink Ice variety looks great on the garden plot.

Usually this variety is used as a hedge.

Spirea nipponskaya is also considered a tall shrub, reaching a height of two meters.

It is noteworthy that even in autumn its leaves retain their green color.

Its flowers also differ in shade: they are not white, but yellow-green. They are purple inside the bud.

A variety of argut gained popularity due to its beautifully shaped two-meter bush. Its branches spread out so that from the side it looks like a waterfall. A lot of white flowers are formed on the branches, exuding a pleasant aroma.

Summer-flowering varieties include Japanese spirea, Douglas, Bouvald, willow, Bullard. Usually the flowers of these shrubs have a pink tint. Among the summer-flowering varieties, it is the varieties of Japanese spirea that are especially popular.

Japanese spirea reaches one and a half meters in height, although it can grow up to a meter.

Its leaves are also gray-gray underneath. In autumn, they change color, becoming red-yellow. It is noteworthy that Japanese spirea blooms for about 45 days.

Among its varieties, five can be distinguished, which are especially loved by landscape designers and gardeners.

"Little princesses" is a Japanese spirea that grows a little more than half a meter. Small and diameter of its crown with reddish pink flowers. But their diameter is more than three centimeters. The variety grows slowly.

"Golden princesses" - a variety of Japanese spirea differs from the previous one only in the yellow color of the flowers and the height of the bush in a meter.

Among the low varieties of Japanese spirea, "Shirobana" is noted, which grows up to 60 cm. It has small pink flowers, the diameter of which is two centimeters.

"Goldflame" is a kind of Japanese spirea, the height of which is 80 cm. The flowers are red with a shade of pink. By autumn, the leaves change color to crimson.

"Crispa" is a Japanese spirea, reaching 50 cm. It has a spherical crown. Its inflorescences do not hang down, but are directed upwards. The diameter of pink flowers with a lilac shade is about six centimeters. This variety can bloom for two months.

Another type of shrub that blooms in summer is the Boomald spirea.

This hybrid is based on Japanese and white-flowered spirea. In height, it can be either 50 cm or 80 cm. The shade of flowers is light pink or dark red. By autumn, the leaves change color from green to picturesque orange, yellow and purple.

One of the most famous of its varieties is "Goldflame". It differs in that its leaves have an orange tint, which turns red in autumn. However, if the location of the bush is in the shade, then the leaves will be green.

The willow spirea is also distinguished by shoots that grow upward. Long inflorescences have a pink tint.

The Douglas variety has small green leaves and dark pink flowers. The inflorescences are shaped like a pyramid.The plant pleases with flowering for about one and a half months.

Spirea Billard is a hybrid of the latter two species. Grows up to two meters. The leaves are small, and the bright pink flowers gather in long pyramidal inflorescences.

Shrub in landscape design

The advantages of spirea are that different varieties of it bloom at different times. So, if you wish, you can ensure that its bushes will bloom from spring to autumn. Moreover, the shade of flowers will beautifully shimmer from white to pink.

Plant species have their own special functionality, well known to designers. For single landings, the Wangutta, Douglas or sharp-toothed spirea is best suited. Their arched shoots are able to create a beautiful bush shape.

Its low types are suitable for registration of the edging planting. Such spireas will look great in green-leaved compositions, especially if their shoots have a reddish tint, and the flowers are red in color. They are also perfect for decorating rock gardens and rockeries. It is interesting to note that it is the undersized varieties that have a wide root system, which seems to be drawing on the ground. It is worth noting that in addition to its decorative properties, spirea can be called a healing plant: it cleans the air well.

Among the ornamental shrubs, spirea occupies a special place. She is surprisingly unpretentious and easily forgives the gardener even the most unobtrusive care. A wide variety of shapes and types allows you to choose the plant to decorate the site that will best fit into the surrounding landscape. Planting and caring for a spirea is not difficult, even a novice gardener can handle it.

Spirea: types and varieties

The genus spirea belongs to the pink family and is quite numerous, it includes more than 70 species. The distribution area of ​​this deciduous shrub is wide. It can be found in the northern hemisphere in most climatic zones. Spirea rarely has single flowers, most often they are collected in a corymbose inflorescence, sometimes in a panicle. The color of flowers depends on the flowering time of the species. Plants blooming in spring have white flowers that bloom on last year's shoots; in species blooming in summer, pink-crimson gamut prevails, flowers are located on annual growths.

The most common types.

• Medium spirea - an inhabitant of Siberian and Far Eastern forests, a tall shrub - above 2 m with white corymbose flowers that open in May and do not fall for 3 weeks, frost-resistant and drought-resistant, used in landscaping, suitable for northern regions.
• Spiraea birch-leaved - grows in Siberia, from 1 to 2 m in height, white flowers are collected in huge shields - up to 10 cm in diameter, blooms at the end of May and blooms throughout June.
• Spirea crenate - has been used in landscaping for 200 years, there are cultural hybrid varieties. In nature, it is a low shrub, only up to 1 m, blooming at the end of May. Quite large flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences, due to the large number of long yellow stamens, they seem to have a golden hue. This type of spirea is drought-resistant and frost-hardy, can be used to strengthen floating soils.
• Spirea St. John's wort is a shrub up to 1 m high, flowering - May-June, white flowers, used to obtain new forms of the plant.
• Gray spirea - the result of crossing the previous species and whitish-gray spirea, has highly decorative varieties that bloom in spring. The most beloved variety of this species by flower growers is Spirea Grefsheim. The shoots of the tall bush bend towards the ground under the weight of flowers that completely cover the bush. The flowering is so abundant that the leaves are almost invisible.
• Spiraea is oak-leaved - blooms with umbrella-shaped inflorescences of white flowers with a large number of protruding stamens for 25 days, flowering occurs in May-June. The species is used in culture, it tolerates a haircut well.
• Spirea Nipponskaya came to us from Japan - this highly ornamental shrub 1-2 m high is decorated with yellowish-white inflorescence shields that appear in June. It does not differ in frost resistance; in severe winters, the tops of the shoots freeze slightly, but quickly recover. The most famous variety is Snowmound. A huge number of flowers on a bush up to 1.5 m high makes it very decorative at the time of flowering. The width of the bush is 2 times the height.
• No less decorative and spirea Wangutta is a hybrid species that blooms very profusely in June-July with white flowers collected in shields. The bush has an average height and can freeze slightly in frosty winters.
• Japanese spirea is quite thermophilic, but due to the low height of the bush - up to 1 m it winters without loss, covered with snow. The most interesting varieties are Little Princesses and Shirobana. Little princesses - a bush up to 80 cm high and up to 1.2 m wide blooms very profusely in June-July with pink flowers collected in medium-sized shields, grows slowly. Shirobana is a bush up to 0.8 m high and up to 0.6 m wide, blooms in mid-summer. Flowers in corymbose inflorescences have three colors - white, pink and crimson, if you cut off faded inflorescences, new ones will decorate the bush for another month.
• The adorable spirea stands out among other species by double flowering: in June on last year's shoots and in July and August on newly regrown ones. Flowers are collected in complex shields, can be white or pale pink. The species does not differ in frost resistance - up to -18 degrees, so in the middle lane it hibernates under cover.
• Spirea Bumald is a decorative hybrid species, it also has a yellow-leaved form. The bush is low - up to 0.8 m in width and height. It blooms for more than 3 months with bright pink flowers in large shields. The most famous variety is Antoni Vaterer.
• Willow spirea grows wild in Siberia. The tall bush blooms in July and August with bright pink flowers collected in pyramidal panicles.
• Spirea Douglas grows above 2 m. In the second half of summer, it is decorated with pink flowers, collected in a paniculate inflorescence.
• When crossing the previous species and spirea willow leaf we got Billard's spirea. A tall, frost-resistant shrub blooms in the second half of summer and is decorated with large pink paniculate inflorescences until the very frosts.
• Also, the hybrid spirea is lilac-colored for a long time, only paniculate inflorescences, in accordance with the name, have a lilac-pink color. The bush can grow up to 2 m.

Spirea: features of cultivation

Spireas are unpretentious, but with proper careful care they give abundant flowering. Different flowering times dictate different pruning times. Some species and varieties have special soil and maintenance preferences. Most spirits prefer humus-rich, but not heavy soil without stagnant water, but they will feel good even on not very fertile soil. To keep the roots from getting wet, they need drainage. But before you plant a plant, you need to propagate it.

Shrub propagation

Spirea is very easy to propagate. Some species produce root shoots that can be transplanted. Parts of a divided bush take root well. Flexible shoots allow cuttings to be rooted. For propagation of all species, cuttings can be used, and for non-hybrid forms and varieties, seeds can also be sown.

Cuttings

When rooting the cuttings, you will get an exact copy of the parent plant. Green cuttings in early flowering varieties are cut at the beginning of June, and in late flowering varieties at the end of the month. For already lignified cuttings, the best rooting time is autumn, September or October.

• The annual green shoot is cut and cut into pieces with 5-6 leaves.
• Remove the bottom pair of leaves, cut the rest by half.
• The lower cut is placed in a vessel with an epin solution for 12 hours.
• It is treated with a powdery root stimulant.
• They are planted in a container with loose soil, sprinkled with a layer of sand at an angle of about 40 degrees to stimulate root formation.
• Cover with foil or glass jar and put in lacy shade under the trees.
• They moisten the soil in the cuttings, preventing it from drying out, and the cuttings themselves are sprayed several times a day.
• In the fall, the container is dropped into the soil, mulched with fallen leaves and covered with a wooden box.
• In the spring, the shelter is removed. After the appearance of young shoots, the plants are planted in the garden in a permanent place.

Seed propagation

In non-hybrid varieties and species, seed germination reaches 80%. Collect them when the boxes turn brown, but have not yet opened. Dose in the room for 2 weeks. You can sow both before winter and in spring. Seeds do not require stratification. Seedlings dive when 2 true leaves are formed. Further care: watering as needed, 2 dressings with full mineral fertilizer. In the fall, seedlings are planted in a seedling bed, and next year in a permanent place. They begin to bloom for 3 years.

Landing in open ground

Proper planting is the key to abundant flowering and plant health. It is very important to maintain the optimal distance between the plants in order to provide them with the necessary nutritional area. When laying a hedge, it is enough to plant spireas 30 cm apart, for a normal planting the distance should be greater, since the bushes grow strongly in width: for tall varieties - about 1 m, for undersized varieties - 0.8 m.

The choice of planting material

Now on sale there are many varieties and hybrids of spirea. The choice of a plant depends, first of all, on what place the spirea will occupy in the landscape design of a particular site. A hedge will require many plants of the same species, it is better if they are tall. As a tapeworm, you can plant an openwork bush with long flowering. On an alpine slide, undersized compact varieties will be appropriate. But whichever variety you choose, the plant should have a developed and healthy root system, consisting of 3 taproots and a well-developed lobe covered with a clay mash. With spring planting, not swollen buds, and with autumn planting, already flown leaves. It is best to choose a container-grown seedling that can be planted throughout the growing season.

How and when to plant?

Spirea is planted in pre-dug holes. Their size should be slightly larger than the root system of the plant. Usually the depth is about 70 cm, 20 of which falls on the drainage of expanded clay or brick fragments. The diameter of the hole is determined by the size of the roots.

Landing Algorithm:

• a plant is placed on a mound of earth poured in a hole, spreading the roots;
• fill up the earth, taking into account that the root collar is strictly at the level of the soil;
• watered in the planting circle using 2 to 3 buckets of water;
• mulch the soil around the bush with a layer of peat 7 cm thick.

Planting time depends on the selected variety: late flowering plants are planted in spring, early flowering plants in autumn, but no later than 3-4 weeks before the onset of frost.

Soil preparation and site

The planting site should be well lit by the sun, a little shading is allowed during the day. It must be remembered that in the shade of the spirea it blooms badly.

This plant is undemanding to the soil. The preferred soil for spirea is light sod or leafy, with a neutral or slightly acidic soil reaction. Heavy clay soils are improved by the addition of sand and peat; a little clay should be added to light sandy soils. From fertilizers, you can add Art. tablespoons of long-acting ABA fertilizer for each bush. This amount will be enough for the plant for several years.

The nuances of planting in spring, autumn

If the variety blooms in summer, it is better to plant it in spring, early flowering varieties are planted in autumn, but so that the bushes take root before the onset of frost. In both cases, the plants must be dormant.In the spring, the buds should not swell yet, and in the fall the leaf fall should already end.

Outdoor care for spirea

An unpretentious plant does not require special care measures, but top dressing and watering made on time will provide it with maximum decorative effect.

How to water properly?

Spirea is a drought-resistant plant, but in extreme heat and in the absence of rain for a long time, it must be watered. This is especially true for recently planted bushes. For an adult plant, the watering rate is 1.5 buckets per bush. For undersized species and varieties, one bucket is enough. Watering is sufficient once every 2 weeks, well soaking the root layer.

Fertilization and feeding

In order for the spireas to grow and bloom well, they should be fed regularly.

You can choose the following power plan:

• in spring, nitrogen mineral or organic fertilizer; for early flowering varieties, additional feeding with complete mineral fertilizer with microelements is needed;
• in June, plants are fed with full mineral fertilizer;
• at the end of August, fertilizing with phosphorus and potassium salts is needed so that the spireas are better prepared for winter.

At the end of summer, spireas cannot be fed with any fertilizers containing nitrogen, this can provoke the growth of new shoots that do not have time to ripen and freeze in winter.

All dressings can be applied both dry and liquid, combining them with watering. The next day, the soil around the plant must be loosened.

Spirea pruning

It is held on several dates, depending on the destination.

• Spring pruning is sanitary. Only dry and frost-damaged shoots are removed.
• Formative. Spireas blooming in the summer on the shoots of the current year are pruned in the spring immediately after the snow melts, combining formative pruning with sanitary pruning. Thin branches thickening the bush are removed - they will not give a good flowering. Different types of spirea have their own subtleties in pruning. Pruning of Douglas and Boomald spirits begins only in the fourth year of life. Miniature varieties not exceeding 40 cm in height are cut into 2 buds. Cut out shoots with foliage that does not match the color of the variety. After flowering, the seed pods are removed, if there is no need for seeds - this contributes to the re-blooming of the inflorescences. It is enough to cut off a third of the shoot. The green hedge is trimmed to give the desired shape. Spring flowering spireas form after flowering, cutting off the shoots at the level of a strong young growth. The crown of the bush should be symmetrical.
• Anti-aging pruning. It is carried out in adult bushes, starting from the 7th year of life. All old shoots are removed, leaving no more than 5-7 young ones, while maintaining the symmetry of the bush. This pruning is best done in several stages, so as not to greatly weaken the bush.

Preparing for winter

The first wintering at a recently planted bush is a serious test. But adult plants, despite the frost resistance of most varieties, and species also need preparation for winter. For many of them, it is enough to feed the plants in August with potash and phosphorus fertilizers, to carry out moisture-charging irrigation after leaf fall and to mulch the trunk circle with humus.

For less frost-resistant varieties, you will have to build a shelter:

• tie the branches into a bunch;
• bend the beam to the ground, fixing it with special fasteners;
• fall asleep with dry leaves;
• additionally throw in snow.

Plant diseases and pests

Spiraea rarely suffers from disease, but in a damp summer it can be damaged by powdery mildew and gray mold. To eliminate them, copper-containing fungicides, Fitosporin, colloidal sulfur are used.

Among the most common pests are aphids, blue meadow sawfly, whitefly and spider mites. Insecticides are effective against the first three: Fitoverm, Actellik. Insectoacaricides are suitable against the tick: Metaphos.

The nuances of growing in Siberia, in the Urals, in the Moscow region

Almost all varieties and types of spirea are suitable for growing in central Russia.Shrubs such as Japanese Spirea and Nippon Spirea need additional winter shelter.

In the Urals, the climate is more severe. In its southern part, almost all types of spirits will grow well. In the middle lane and, especially in the north, frost-resistant shrubs should be preferred. The same can be said for spirea in Siberia. Only undersized varieties are able to overwinter under the snow without much loss. If medium and tall plants are not covered, then constant frosting in winter is guaranteed to them, decorativeness and abundant flowering cannot be achieved in such conditions.

Correctly selected varieties of spirea are able to create a flowering conveyor throughout the growing season and will be a real decoration of any garden.

There are about 90 species of the spirea plant. They grow mostly in the forest-steppe, steppes and semi-desert zones of the northern part of the globe. The genus as a whole is characterized by a wide variety both in terms of shapes and colors - there are pyramidal, erect, creeping species with orange, yellow, purple-red foliage.

This allows you to carry out almost any design idea in your garden, in a greenhouse, and so on. By choosing various combinations of several types of spirits, experienced gardeners achieve continuous flowering from spring to autumn, moreover, these plants themselves are distinguished by abundant and long flowering. According to this characteristic, each species is included in one of 2 groups - spring-flowering or summer-flowering. The first bloom with white flowers on last year's shoots, and the second - pink, red, crimson on new ones.

Spirea varieties with photos and names

Spring flowering spireas form numerous bushy stems, of which a 10-year-old specimen can number from 30 to 60. These include:

Spirea Wangutta - 2-meter tall, with drooping branches and colorful leaves (gray-green color changes to motley orange in autumn).

Spirea Argut - one of the earliest flowering species, with a lush, spreading bush, about 2 meters high and a pleasant aroma of flowers that cover the entire surface of the branches.

Spirea nippon - no more than 1 meter in height, spherical with the outlines of a creeping bush, covered with flowers throughout.

Spirea Thunberg - its foliage changes color from green in summer to orange-crimson with the arrival of autumn.

Spirea crenate - a rare species under protection, about 1 meter tall, with a loose crown, grayish-green foliage crenate at the edges, and corymbose inflorescences of white flowers with a yellow tint.

Spirea gray - a hybrid of several species at once, more than 1.5 meters high, with drooping branches and gray-green foliage.

Its variety is widely known. spirea grefsheim 2 meters high, with drooping brown branches and a lush crown.

Summer blooming includes the following species:

Japanese spirea

One of the most common species in horticulture. Magnificent bushes with pubescent young stems, 1.5 meters high, are covered with ovoid foliage, glaucous below and green above. When autumn comes, the leaves turn fiery red. Flowering is very long - more than 60 days pinkish-red flowers adorn the garden.

On the basis of this spirea, many varieties were bred, for example, blooming in June-July spirea little princesses with a spherical crown more than a meter in diameter, ellipsoidal green foliage and pinkish flowers.

Spirea shiroban (genpey) is a small (less than a meter tall) shrub with thin green foliage, white and pink flowers, blooms in full summer.

Variety spirea goldflame has a height of 80 cm, foliage that changes color from yellowish orange to rich orange in autumn and small red or pink flowers.

Spirea crisp even lower - up to 50 cm in height - with a spherical crown, erect stems, crowned with umbrellas of light pink inflorescences.

The most winter-hardy and one of the fastest growing varieties - spirea macrophile - grows 1.5 meters in height, blooms in June-August with pink corymbose inflorescences, also stands out against the background of other varieties with large (up to 20 cm long) and wrinkled foliage, which is painted in dark red tones in spring, becomes in the middle of summer green, while in autumn it is golden yellow.

Spirea Goldmound - a dwarf form no more than 25 cm in height, blooming from mid-July with small pink inflorescences, with bright yellowish-golden foliage and a spherical bush shape.

Variety spirea albiflora (or simply - white) is slightly higher (under 60 cm), has oval green foliage and differs as unusual for summer-flowering spirits as for the usual spring-flowering color of flowers - snow-white, while in the flowering phase the bush exudes a wonderful aroma.

Spirea Bumald

A species that blooms in June-September, with a catchy compact bush up to 1 meter tall, reddish foliage, multiple flat corymbose inflorescences of pink-lilac color and multi-colored stems (young ones are painted green, older ones are brown-red, peeling) ...

Spirea willow - is huge, its height is 2 meters, and the length of the leaves is 10 cm, the stems are erect red, and the flowers, organized in inflorescences, are inherent in white and pink colors.

Birch spirea - named so, due to the similarity of foliage with birch, characterized by a shrub less than a meter high, a spherical crown, ribbed curved stems, variegated yellow foliage, dense white and pinkish inflorescences and flowering in June from 4 years of age.

Spirea Douglas - from North America, with straight brown-red pubescent stems, oblong-lanceolate foliage with irregular teeth and pink flowers, pleasing to the eye from July for about 45 days.

Spirea Billard - a very winter-hardy hybrid of willow spire and Douglas, wildly growing in the south of the Caucasus Mountains, in the Arkhangelsk region, 2 meters tall, with spreading branches, broadly lanceolate foliage (about 10 cm), bright pink flowers that form dense inflorescences-pyramids, blooming from early August until the onset of frost.

Spirea dwarf - also a hybrid, on the contrary - not winter-hardy, rarely found in gardening, according to the name, it differs in stunting (20-30 cm), creeping shoots, oblong oval-toothed foliage along the edges with pointed tips (the length of the leaves is from 1 to 3 cm, width - up to 1.5 cm, color - grayish with pubescence below and green above) and white, like in spring-flowering species, flowers in paniculate inflorescences blooming in the second half of June.

Spirea Kalinolistnaya

Separately highlight the view spirea, or rather - vesicle, which is popularly called “meadowsweet”, However, if you are aware of the official classification of these plants, it turns out that they represent one family (Rosaceae), but two different genera - vesicle and spirea.

The gallbladder grows in the eastern part of North America. In comparison with spireas, it is incredibly tall, reaching a height of 3 meters, has spreading, drooping branches that form a dense, hemispherical crown. The foliage, at the same time, does not differ in large size - 4 cm in length, with serrate-toothed edges, the top of the leaves is green, and the bottom is lighter, sometimes with slight pubescence.

The diameter of the flowers that are related to the spirea is 1.2 cm, they are white or pink in color, they are collected in corymbose inflorescences. The plant is characterized by frost resistance and a short flowering period relative to spirits - about 3 weeks.

to the table of contents

Spirea planting and care in the open field

To get a healthy and strong spirea bush in the open field, special skills are not required.But, in particular for the Japanese variety, there are certain rules of care. She, as you know, is included in the list of summer flowering, which means that it is better to plant in the spring, and you need to have time to do this before the buds begin to bloom. The optimal time is considered to be evening, in cool cloudy weather.

The photophilousness of the plant determines its good growth in a sunny area, however, partial shade is also suitable. A preliminary examination of the seedlings is necessary for the presence of damaged roots, which must be cut using a pruner. After inspection, the roots are treated with root or heteroauxin according to the instructions.

When planting, the root collar is positioned flush with the soil surface. The planting hole itself must be dug to a size that exceeds the size of the roots by at least 2 times. After completing all these procedures, a hole is weeded around the circumference of the bush and watered well until the earth subsides.

Tavolga is also a member of the Pink family, grown when planting and nursing in the open field without much hassle, but requires compliance with the rules of maintenance. All the necessary recommendations for growing and caring for this plant can be found in this article.

to the table of contents

Watering spirea

Due to the fact that the root system of spirits does not penetrate deeply into the ground, it is not easy for them to tolerate the dryness of the soil, and they begin to dry out on their own.

Given this, the plant should be moderately watered during dry periods with 15 liters of water per bush twice a month.

to the table of contents

Soil for spirea

The composition of the soil does not really matter, but on fertile, drained, moderately moist soil, the spirea will bloom more abundantly. It is recommended to fertilize poor soil with peat or a mixture of sand and leafy soil and, if necessary, arrange drainage from pebbles or broken bricks.

For the Japanese spirea, periodic weeding and loosening of the earth is also important, which facilitates the flow of air to the roots.

to the table of contents

Spirea transplant in the fall

Transplanting and dividing the bush is especially relevant if the plant is 3-4 years old. In cases with older specimens, everything is complicated due to the fact that the earthen lump becomes large, and it is difficult to manipulate it.

In the autumn, both spring and summer flowering spirits are planted. As usual, the autumn planting is carried out in conjunction with the transplantation of the divisions before the leaf fall ends. The bush is dug along a radius slightly exceeding half of the projection of the crown, while, if it is necessary to cut down some roots, the plant will not suffer.

After removing the bush, it is worth rinsing its root system - not very overgrown young growth is placed in a container filled with water, the earth is allowed to turn off and settle, and the root system is washed with running water. Cutting is performed with pruning shears to form 2-3 pieces with a good root lobe and 2-3 strong stems. Cord-like roots should be trimmed, the entire root system as a whole should be straightened (this can be done even during flushing).

In the dug hole in the middle, a mound is poured into the earth, a seedling is placed on it and the roots are again smoothed, then they are covered with soil, the surface of which must be crushed. The transplanted plants are watered several times. Only summer-flowering species can be planted in spring. Purchased seedlings should be carefully examined - they should be without overdried roots, with flexible stems containing powerful buds.

to the table of contents

Spirea fertilization

When planting, it is recommended to apply a complex long-acting AVA fertilizer in the amount of 1 tablespoon of granules to ensure uniform plant nutrition for 2-3 years.

This top dressing will supply the spirea with all the required macro- and microelements, except for nitrogen, which can be added separately in spring together with mineral (30 grams of urea or 100 grams of kemira per square meter) or organic (compost with a layer of 5-7 cm thick) fertilizer.

to the table of contents

Spirea pruning

Trimming the spirea is one of the most important points in caring for it. With its help, gardeners achieve the beauty of the forms and the full flowering of these plants every year.

The process should start in early spring - remove weak and dead stems that develop to shorten to strong buds. Age specimens (more than 4 years old) must be cut vigorously - 20-25 cm from the soil surface.

to the table of contents

Spirea in landscape design

Clumps of varied spirits can provide a very long flowering period - from May to September. New varieties with decorative foliage will add elegance to the composition even in late autumn.

The effectiveness of massive group plantings of spirea, lilac and mock-orange together with, for example, lilies of the valley is manifested throughout the year, except, of course, winter. At the same time, the color of the latter is selected in accordance with the varieties of spirits, and, given their rich choice, it will not be difficult to implement the plan.

to the table of contents

Spirea preparation for winter

Japanese spiraea is quite frost-resistant (some of its varieties mentioned above are especially winter-hardy). However, shelter for the winter will not hurt her, in particular, when it comes to a young shrub.

The bending of shoots to the ground can fully guarantee successful wintering with Japanese spirea (as, indeed, Nippon, Bumald). Pinning them and covering them with dry leaves on a layer of 10-15 cm.

to the table of contents

Reproduction of spirea by cuttings

Reproduction of spirits, in addition to the division of the bush described above, is possible by cuttings and seed. Cutting gives a very good result - rooting with a probability of 70% without using a growth stimulant.

Spring-flowering species are cut in early June, summer-flowering species - at the end of June or next month. In autumn, the cuttings become lignified, and they can be rooted (approximate time - September-October).

After cutting a straight one-year shoot, it is cut into pieces with 5-6 leaves. The leaves in the lower part of the cutting must be removed with petioles, the remaining ones must be cut by 1/2, then the cuttings must be placed in dissolved epin for 12 hours (1 ml per 2 liters of water).

Before planting the cutting in a pot of moistened sand, it will not be superfluous to sprinkle the lower knot with a rootstock. Landing angle - 30-45 °. It is also necessary to provide a cover, which can be glass or film.

The pot should stand in the shade, the cuttings should be sprayed with water 2-3 times a day. With the arrival of frost, cuttings are dropped in the garden bed, covered with foliage, placed on top of the box with the bottom up and left so until spring. Next year, the cuttings will acquire new stems and will be ready for planting in a permanent place.

to the table of contents

Spirea from seeds

The seed method cannot be used to propagate hybrids, because it leads to a loss of varietal qualities. Sowing is carried out in the spring in boxes with a substrate consisting of leafy soil or well-ventilated high-moor peat.

Before sowing, the surface of the substrate is moistened, and then lightly sprinkled with peat or earth. The seedlings will all sprout together (the probability of sprouting is 50-100%). After 8-10 days, after which it is recommended to immediately treat them with foundation (20 grams per 10 liters - per 3 square meters of territory) to protect against fungi.

In the 1st year, the spirea planted in this way will form one winding stem without branches and a root system consisting of a taproot and several lateral ones.

Seedlings dive 2-3 months after the seedlings appeared (or in the 2nd year, if the seedlings are weak). Moreover, it is better to do it in cloudy or in the evening. They are removed, the roots are slightly pruned and moved to the garden bed, which is then carefully loosened, moistened and mulched. In the 1st year, the seedling will reach a height of 5-10 cm, and already in the 2nd year, its development will noticeably accelerate.

to the table of contents

Diseases and pests

Spireas do not tend to be attacked by any pests, and their decorative appearance is not particularly dependent on external influences.One of the most influencing the state of the plant is spider mite, the females of which spend the winter under fallen leaves, and in May they settle on the underside of young leaves.

The appearance of whitish spots on the upper sides of the leaves testifies to the defeat, they are out of time turn yellow, dry and crumble... Most of all, the pest is noticeable in July-August, especially if the summer is dry.

Acrex (0.2%) will help to effectively cope with the problem. It is better not to postpone the treatment - it is worth starting already when there are 2-3 parasites on the leaves.

to the table of contents