Spirea planting and care in the open field in the Leningrad region

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 this.

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, only up to 1 m shrub that blooms at the end of May. Quite large flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences, due to the large number of long yellow stamens, it seems that they have a golden hue. This type of spirea is drought-resistant and frost-hardy, can be used to strengthen floating soils.
• Spiraea St. John's wort is a shrub up to 1 m high, flowering - May-June, white flowers, is 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 practically 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 shields of inflorescences 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 must 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 ones 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 the summer, it is better to plant it in the spring, early-flowering varieties are planted in the fall, 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 yet swell, 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 enough to carry out once every 2 weeks, well soaking the root layer.

Fertilizer 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 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 to be prepared 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

Spirea does not often suffer from diseases, but in a damp summer it can be damaged by powdery mildew and gray mold. To eliminate them, use copper-containing fungicides, Fitosporin, colloidal sulfur.

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, 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 about spirea in Siberia. Only undersized varieties are able to overwinter under the snow without any special losses. If medium and tall plants are not covered, then constant frosting in winter is guaranteed to them, decorativeness and abundant flowering in such conditions cannot be achieved.

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.

Spirea, numbering more than 100 varieties, is known as a versatile shrub for landscape design. Among them there are giants over 2 meters high and dwarf species less than 20 cm high. It is successfully grown as a hedge in gardens and parks, serves as an element of rockeries and flower beds.

Lush color, a variety of colors, a long flowering period and unpretentious care are good reasons to settle this beauty in the garden.

You will learn how to grow spirea, how to create ideal conditions for it and all the nuances of care by reading this article.

Description of the plant and species

Spirea or, as it is often called, meadowsweet is an ornamental shrub of the Rosaceae family. The natural conditions for its growth are steppe, forest-steppe, semi-desert areas of most of the northern hemisphere.

Her flowers are small, but due to their large number and large inflorescences in which they are collected, the blooming spirea looks luxurious. Flowers of various colors can be collected in inflorescences in the form of a panicle, an ear. Leaves, depending on the variety, are of various shapes: round, lanceolate, colors vary from yellowish-green to bright green, small-leaved and large-leaved varieties are found. Therefore, it is not surprising that different varieties of spirea differ significantly from each other.

The meadowsweet varieties are conventionally divided into two main groups: spring-flowering and summer-flowering.

Spring blooming

Plants of this group are characterized by flowering in late spring and early summer. At the same time, the buds are formed in the fall, so in the spring it is absolutely impossible to cut the bushes. From this group, the following varieties are especially attractive, shown in the photo:

Spirea is gray.The characteristic difference of this variety is gray foliage. Snow-white flowers form a shield-like inflorescence. A bush growing up to 2 meters in height with soft branches looks great both growing alone and in group plantings.

Thunberg.The height of the bush is up to 2 meters, in natural conditions it grows in the mountainous regions of China, Japan, Korea. Long bloom - from May to late June. White flowers on drooping branches are collected in umbellate inflorescences.

Arguta.This variety is so lush that the foliage is not visible due to the white lace of the flowers. Due to the spreading structure of the plant, shoots do not need pruning, they grow up to 2m in an arched shape. A short flowering period from the end of April, lasts about 20 days.

Summer blooming

Varieties of this group form buds in the spring only on young shoots, which is why the plant needs pruning of last year's already faded branches. Flowering begins later in the summer.

This group includes:

Japanese spirea.The height of the shrub is no more than 1.5 meters. The peculiarity of Japanese spirea is in oblong bright green leaves, on the underside of a bluish tint, which later become reddish. Long flowering period (all summer), pink flowers are collected in shield-like inflorescences.

White spirea. Sprawling shrub about 1.5 m high with long pointed leaves. Flowering begins in July.

Billard. With pink flowers and wide leaves, it blooms from mid-summer until frost. It grows up to 2 meters in height. Due to its cold resistance, it is successfully grown in the northern regions.

Planting spirea

The condition for obtaining a beautifully blooming spirea is compliance with the basic rules of cultivation, including planting.

The optimal planting time is September.

In spring, only summer-flowering species are planted, it is recommended to plant before bud break. Before buying a seedling, you need to make sure that the planting material is suitable: the root system should not be overdried, and the shoots should be flexible, have formed buds.

It is necessary to prepare the seedling. Overgrown roots should be shortened, and, conversely, with dried roots or if they have damage, the shoots are shortened. It is useful to soak overdried roots in water for a while before planting.

For spirea, leaf or sod soil is optimal. To prepare the soil, sand and peat are added to the sod land in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The planting hole must be provided with good drainage, since the spirea does not tolerate stagnant water well.

It is advisable to plant in rainy or cloudy weather. Planting depth - 0.5 meters, not less. The planting hole is filled with soil, and the seedling is planted in such a way that its root collar is at surface level. After planting, water should be abundantly at the rate of 15-20 liters per bush.

Care rules

Like all other plants, the relatively unpretentious spirea needs certain growing conditions.

Watering

Watering required abundant and frequent, especially for young plantings and flowering in summer. Well protects against moisture evaporation and the formation of a crust on the surface of mulching. Watering rate: 25-30 liters of water per plant up to 3 times a month.

Top dressing

Top dressing with fertilizers stimulates the growth of spirea and the formation of new shoots. Mineral complexes are introduced into the root circle immediately after pruning. In the middle of summer, organic mullein feeding is beneficial.

To provide the root system with oxygen, it is important to loosen the soil.

Pest control

The most common pests are aphids and spider mites. The fight against them should be started immediately after detection, since due to the spreading of the spirea, delayed processing can be difficult. Treatment with complex insecticides is recommended.

Diseases

One of the advantages of spirea is resistance to many diseases. However, if the rules of care are violated, it can be struck by root rot, the main reasons for which are waterlogging of the soil, lack of drainage and the formation of stagnant moisture, heavy soil. For prevention, such phenomena should be avoided; in the event of a fungal infection, treatment with fungicides can save the plantings.

Pruning shoots

Pruning is done to prevent overgrowth and shape the plant.

Depending on the type of flowering, it is carried out in different ways.

In spring-flowering varieties of spirea, only the frozen tips are cut off. To update the spirea after 7-14 years, you can remove all old branches, leaving the stumps. A new bush is formed from the young growth. In the first year, 5-6 shoots are left on it, which grow rapidly. After a year, weak and old branches are cut again.

Summer flowering species need annual pruning in the spring. In this case, the branch is cut to large buds, and it is advisable to remove the weakened branches completely. After 4 years of growing season, it is recommended to prune the branches annually, leaving them up to 30 cm from the ground surface.

Reproduction

Layers

The most effective way is propagation by layering, which is also the simplest. During the blooming of the leaves, the shoot is bent to the ground and sprinkled. With regular watering in the fall, a young seedling with a sufficiently strong root system will form from it to separate from the main bush and plant in another place.

If you want to get more than one layer from one branch, you should pinch its top, bend the entire shoot to the ground and sprinkle it. With this method, by the spring of next year, several young plants suitable for transplantation will be formed from the grown lateral shoots.

Cuttings

Cutting is a rather laborious process. Cuttings are cut at the end of flowering and planted in a peat-sand mixture and placed in a greenhouse. For planting in open ground, the cuttings will be ready for the next one only in a year.

Seeds

Seed propagation is rarely used. Sowing is carried out in the spring under the film. After their germination, the film is removed, and then grown as a normal seedling until the end of summer. Then the seedlings are transplanted into open ground. In the winter cold, young seedlings must be covered with foliage, spruce branches.

Seed propagation is rarely used due to low seed germination and a long waiting period for flowers (after 3-4 years).

Spirea is an ornamental plant that pleases with beauty. It is considered especially popular with gardeners. Spirea is in trend today. It is successfully grown in gardens, often decorates city parks. About the features planting and caring for spirea described in our article.

There are more than a hundred varieties of culture that can surprise you with the abundance of possible shades and shapes.

Peculiarities

Spirea is an ornamental shrub of the Rosaceae family. The name fully reflects the flexibility of branches. From Greek "speira" is translated as bend.

It is found in different climatic zones: forest, forest-steppe, semi-deserts, mountains. One of the boundaries of habitation is in the Himalayas.

It can be dwarf (up to 15 cm in height) and unprecedentedly high, reaching 2 m. Different varieties of spirea bloom from May to early autumn. To enjoy the beauty of flowering for a long time, it is worth planting several varieties at the same time. The more there are, the longer they delight with their flowering. Flowers look like small strings, creating fluffy inflorescences in different shades (light pink, crimson, white).

The root system does not go deeply, it has a fibrous appearance. Depending on the variety, inflorescences are placed along the entire shoot or only at the ends. Leaves are round or pointed. They are usually colored bright green. Erect or creeping branches may have brown bark, which sometimes exfoliates.

Interesting! It is customary to plant several bushes at once in one place. A spirea hedge looks irresistible, but a single planting looks good too.

Variety of species and varieties

There are about 100 varieties of spirea, although not all are grown in large quantities. Distinguish:

• Spring flowering.
• Summer blooming.

Spring blooming

Spring-flowering spirea usually begins to bloom after a year of life on last year's shoots. Flowers are only white, differ in minor shades.This variety is characterized by enhanced tillering.

The most favorite varieties of gardeners:

1. Spirea gray is a hybrid of St. John's Beetle and whitish-gray spirea. It blooms in white, named for the gray color of the leaves. It grows up to 2 m, the branches are very thin. Flowering begins in May to mid-June;
2. Spirea Grefstein especially unpretentious. A tall bush up to 2m in height has thin brown branches, snow-white umbrella flowers with a diameter of 1 cm. It is an abundant honey plant;
3. Spirea Wangutta - a hybrid of the Cantonese and three-bladed spirea.

Summer flowering varieties

Spirea bloom can be admired only in summer. Pinkish or red-pink flowers adorn exclusively young shoots. Last year's shoots are gradually dying off.

Especially popular Japanese spirea.

Japanese spirea bushes grow up to 1.5 meters. Bright leaves of a green hue turn yellow in autumn, are red, even purple. The plant blooms for 45 days. Inflorescences are colored red-pink, rarely white.

Popular varieties of Japanese spirea:

1. Spirea princess Little has a small height of up to 0.6 m, a round crown, oval-shaped leaves. The flowers are red, up to 4 cm in diameter. Growth is extremely slow.
2. Golden princesses differs little from the previous one, only up to 1 m tall, may have yellow foliage.
3. Shirobana - a low-growing plant - up to 0.6-0.8 m, but has a wide crown of at least 1.2 m, narrow leaves, flowers of pink-white tones.

Summer flowering shrubs also include:

Birch spirea, the leaf of which really looks like a birch, which was the reason to name the variety in this way. A short bush grows up to 60 cm, has a lush ball shape, zigzag shoots, the ends of which are decorated with white flowers.

Willow spirea. High up to 2 m, has red-yellow, brown shoots, leaves have pointed ends, usually green, pink pyramidal inflorescences 20 cm long, appearing at the ends of branches.

In Siberia the most winter-hardy varieties are grown:

• Volzhanka;
• Tavloga.

The shrub tolerates frosty winters well and is grown in many northern regions.

Many varieties are quite frost-resistant, but for Siberia it is better to choose especially frost-resistant options. Of great importance is not just resistance to low temperatures, but the flowering period and other factors.

Watch the video! Top most interesting varieties of spirea

Growing features

Even the incredible beauty, sophistication and nobility of the spirea will not require a lot of care from the gardener.

Minimal care is needed, but some requirements will have to be taken into account:

1. It is necessary to create favorable conditions, the soil should be loose, fertile, it is preferable to use a mixture of leafy, turfy lands, it is good to add sand. The ratio of sand, peat and earth is 1: 1: 2;
2. More light is desirable, but stagnation of water must be completely eliminated;
3. It is better to plant spirea in the fall (September);
4. In the spring, only summer-flowering varieties can be planted, others are unlikely to take root;
5. Broken bricks are good drainage.
6. The pit for planting is made with a volume that is 1/3 larger than the root of the bush itself;
7. The depth of the seedling is 5 m, but the root collar cannot be buried;
8. It is better to plant spirea when it is cloudy, not hot;
9. There will be no conflicts if a spruce, thuja, juniper grows nearby.

Planting spirea

If there is no spirea on the site yet, you can simply buy seedlings. It is better to purchase planting material in specialized stores and nurseries that offer good quality seedlings.

Planting in spring

1. The roots of the seedlings must be good. Dried roots can be moistened just before planting. Overgrown roots are cut off;
2. It is important to have time to plant before the first leaves have blossomed;
3. Shoots of seedlings should be flexible, not overdried, with large buds;
4. The landing pit must be defended for several days, then drainage is arranged in it;
5. It is better to wait for cloudy weather to plant the plant. A bucket of water is poured into the pit and a bush is lowered into it;
6. Sprinkle the roots with earth, tamp the soil well;
7. Pour a couple of buckets of water, mulch with peat.

Autumn planting

1. In the fall, you can plant any kind of spirea, everything will go in the best way;
2. You can combine planting seedlings with reproduction by layering;
3. Autumn is the time for planting new plants, planting old bushes, but all this is done before the end of leaf fall;
4. The transplanted plant is dug up from the ground, the volume of which exceeds half of the crown of the bush. It is convenient to outline a circle, then dig out a bush;
5. The bush is lowered into water so that the earth sinks to the bottom of the container;
6. The roots are washed with a hose. Cut the bush with pruning shears into 2-3 seedlings, so that each has several strong shoots;
7. Further, they perform the same actions as for spring planting.

Spirea care

The unpretentiousness of the spirea still involves some care:

1. Since the roots are shallow, the soil will need to be moistened regularly. When it is very hot, watering is done several times a month. Each bush is watered with 3 buckets of water;
2. The enrichment of the soil with oxygen involves the regular loosening of the soil;
3. Timely weeding is very important;
4. Regular fertilization is the most important factor for excellent growth.

First feeding should be done after pruning. Second feeding organic matter (mullein solution with the addition of superphosphates in proportions of 10 g per 10 l) is produced in the middle of summer;

5. It is important to completely destroy pests, they cause significant harm to plants. Aphids and spider mites are especially dangerous. Will exterminate aphids karbofos. The tick will be defeated by the drug Pirimor.

Pruning features

Spirea grows strongly, everything is normal here. Therefore, pruning is necessary.

Spring flowering:

1. These varieties are pruned after flowering.
2. It is necessary to prune infrequently, only if it becomes necessary to remove old five-year-old shoots, damaged, frozen parts.
3. Young shoots cannot be cut off, as this causes abundant growth of lateral branches. The inflorescences will then be weak, modest, the shrub will lose its attractive shape.

Summer flowering:

1. Plants that are more than 4 years old are pruned in early spring.
2. The shoots are shortened to a length of 25 cm. This allows you to keep the shape of the bush.
3. Only the top of the shoots should not be cut off. Such actions will make young branches too thin and inflorescences too weak.

Watch the video! How to prune shrubs. Spirea pruning

Reproduction of spirea

Reproduction is possible in several ways:

• Cuttings.
• Layers.
• Seeds.

Seeds

This breeding method is typical for nurseries. In early spring, seeds are sown in boxes with special soil. After a few months, seedlings will hatch, which are then planted in open ground.

To strengthen the root system, the tip is pinched. For the first time, the flowering of plants grown from seeds will occur after 4 years, if the care is correct, weeding, feeding, loosening, watering will be performed.

Cuttings

It is best to propagate spirea by cuttings or layering. This preserves the characteristics of the variety. Lignified shoots of the current year are cut into a length of 10 cm, any parts are allowed to be used. Then the cuttings are placed in a special Kornevin solution, which stimulates the formation of a strong root system.

Cuttings are planted in July. The soil needs to be well fertilized. Already in the fall, the roots will be strong and mature, which will ensure the full success of planting growth.

Layers

Propagate reliably by layering. The method is completely uncomplicated. You can use plants that are 3-4 years old, older bushes are not suitable for this.

They begin to propagate by layering in early spring, when the first leaves have just blossomed.It's just that the longest peripheral branches are bent down, thoroughly covered with earth. It is better to fasten the branches to the ground with wire. Good care will ensure that you can get a new plant in the fall.

In order for it to strengthen better, to grow actively, it is enough to simply pick off very young leaves.

Conclusion

Growing a perfectly healthy beautiful bush is not difficult at all. You can do it yourself, even if you don't have much experience, special skills. The main thing is to have a real desire to get a wonderful ornamental shrub that will delight you with its amazing flowering.

Watch the video! Unpretentious plants for the garden Spirea gray - white fountain

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, it seems that they 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 practically 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 shields of inflorescences 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 losses, 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 in early 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 autumn, 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 adding 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 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, use copper-containing fungicides, Fitosporin, colloidal sulfur.

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.

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 spirea 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 Boomald's 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 varieties. 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, 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.

Spirea, numbering more than 100 varieties, is known as a versatile shrub for landscape design. Among them there are giants over 2 meters high and dwarf species less than 20 cm high. It is successfully grown as a hedge in gardens and parks, serves as an element of rockeries and flower beds.

Lush color, a variety of colors, a long flowering period and unpretentious care are good reasons to settle this beauty in the garden.

You will learn how to grow spirea, how to create ideal conditions for it and all the nuances of care by reading this article.

Description of the plant and species

Spirea or, as it is often called, meadowsweet is an ornamental shrub of the Rosaceae family. The natural conditions for its growth are steppe, forest-steppe, semi-desert areas of most of the northern hemisphere.

Her flowers are small, but due to their large number and large inflorescences in which they are collected, the blooming spirea looks luxurious. Flowers of various colors can be collected in inflorescences in the form of a panicle, an ear. Leaves, depending on the variety, are of various shapes: round, lanceolate, colors vary from yellowish green to bright green, small-leaved and large-leaved varieties are found. Therefore, it is not surprising that different varieties of spirea differ significantly from each other.

The meadowsweet varieties are conventionally divided into two main groups: spring-flowering and summer-flowering.

Spring blooming

Plants of this group are characterized by flowering in late spring and early summer. At the same time, the buds are formed in the fall, so in the spring it is absolutely impossible to cut the bushes. From this group, the following varieties are especially attractive, shown in the photo:

Spirea is gray.A characteristic difference of this variety is gray foliage. Snow-white flowers form a shield-like inflorescence. A bush growing up to 2 meters in height with soft branches looks great both growing alone and in group plantings.

Thunberg.The height of the bush is up to 2 meters, in natural conditions it grows in the mountainous regions of China, Japan, Korea. Long bloom - from May to late June. White flowers on drooping branches are collected in umbellate inflorescences.

Arguta.This variety is so lush that the foliage is not visible due to the white lace of the flowers. Due to the spreading structure of the plant, shoots do not need pruning, they grow up to 2m in an arched shape. A short flowering period from the end of April, lasts about 20 days.

Summer blooming

Varieties of this group form buds in the spring only on young shoots, which is why the plant needs pruning of last year's already faded branches. Flowering begins later in the summer.

This group includes:

Japanese spirea.The height of the shrub is no more than 1.5 meters. The peculiarity of Japanese spirea is in oblong bright green leaves, on the underside of a bluish tint, which later become reddish. Long flowering period (all summer), pink flowers are collected in shield-like inflorescences.

White spirea. Sprawling shrub about 1.5 m high with long pointed leaves. Flowering begins in July.

Billard. With pink flowers and wide leaves, it blooms from mid-summer until frost. It grows in height up to 2 meters. Due to its cold resistance, it is successfully grown in the northern regions.

Planting spirea

The condition for obtaining a beautifully blooming spirea is compliance with the basic rules of cultivation, including planting.

The optimal planting time is September.

In spring, only summer-flowering species are planted, it is recommended to plant before bud break. Before buying a seedling, you need to make sure of the suitability of the planting material: the root system should not be overdried, and the shoots should be flexible, have formed buds.

It is necessary to prepare the seedling. Overgrown roots should be shortened, and, conversely, with dried roots or if they have damage, the shoots are shortened. It is useful to soak overdried roots in water for a while before planting.

For spirea, leafy or soddy soil is optimal. To prepare the soil, sand and peat are added to the sod land in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The planting hole must be provided with good drainage, since the spirea does not tolerate stagnant water well.

It is advisable to plant in rainy or cloudy weather. Planting depth - 0.5 meters, not less. The planting hole is filled with soil, and the seedling is planted in such a way that its root collar is at surface level. After planting, water should be abundantly at the rate of 15-20 liters per bush.

Care rules

Like all other plants, the relatively unpretentious spirea needs certain growing conditions.

Watering

Watering required abundant and frequent, especially for young plantings and flowering in summer. Well protects against moisture evaporation and the formation of a crust on the surface of mulching. Watering rate: 25-30 liters of water per plant up to 3 times a month.

Top dressing

Top dressing with fertilizers stimulates the growth of spirea and the formation of new shoots. Mineral complexes are introduced into the root circle immediately after pruning. In the middle of summer, organic mullein feeding is beneficial.

To provide the root system with oxygen, it is important to loosen the soil.

Pest control

The most common pests are aphids and spider mites. The fight against them should be started immediately after detection, since due to the spreading of the spirea, delayed processing can be difficult. Treatment with complex insecticides is recommended.

Diseases

One of the advantages of spirea is resistance to many diseases. However, if the rules of care are violated, it can be struck by root rot, the main reasons for which are waterlogging of the soil, lack of drainage and the formation of stagnant moisture, heavy soil. For prevention, such phenomena should be avoided; in the event of a fungal infection, treatment with fungicides can save the plantings.

Pruning shoots

Pruning is done to prevent overgrowth and shape the plant.

Depending on the type of flowering, it is carried out in different ways.

In spring-flowering varieties of spirea, only the frozen tips are cut off. To update the spirea after 7-14 years, you can remove all old branches, leaving the stumps. A new bush is formed from the young growth. In the first year, 5-6 shoots are left on it, which grow rapidly. After a year, weak and old branches are cut again.

Summer flowering species need annual pruning in the spring. In this case, the branch is cut to large buds, and it is advisable to remove the weakened branches completely. After 4 years of growing season, it is recommended to prune the branches annually, leaving them up to 30 cm from the ground.

Reproduction

Layers

The most effective way is propagation by layering, which is also the simplest. During the blooming of the leaves, the shoot is bent to the ground and sprinkled. With regular watering in the fall, a young seedling with a sufficiently strong root system will form from it to separate from the main bush and plant in another place.

If you want to get more than one layer from one branch, you should pinch its top, bend the entire shoot to the ground and sprinkle it.With this method, by the spring of next year, several young plants suitable for transplantation will be formed from the grown lateral shoots.

Cuttings

Cutting is a rather laborious process. Cuttings are cut out at the end of flowering and planted in a peat-sand mixture and placed in a greenhouse. For planting in open ground, the cuttings will be ready for the next one only in a year.

Seeds

Seed propagation is rarely used. Sowing is carried out in the spring under the film. After their germination, the film is removed, and then grown as a normal seedling until the end of summer. Then the seedlings are transplanted into open ground. In the winter cold, young seedlings must be covered with foliage, spruce branches.

Seed propagation is rarely used due to low seed germination and a long waiting period for flowers (after 3-4 years).

When the beauty of a plant is combined with unpretentiousness, it becomes a welcome guest on any site. The variety of species and varieties of spirea only increase its advantages when choosing garden plants. A minimum of effort is required to plant and care for the spirea. The perennial is famous for its undemandingness, frost resistance and stunning beauty of flowering.

Plant features

Spirea is a perennial from the Rosaceae family. The plant is widespread in many parts of the world, it develops equally well both in mountainous areas and in the steppes and forests. Gardeners respect spirea for its resistance to adverse conditions. Frost-resistant shrub varieties are especially popular.

The main feature of a perennial is its lush flowering. Spirea flowers themselves are small, no more than 2 cm, but they gather in large spike-shaped, paniculate, corymbose or pyramidal inflorescences that will decorate any summer cottage. The shade of spirea flowers is from white to pink and deep red. Budding begins in spring or summer and can last until the onset of cold weather.

Shoots of spirea species are straight, creeping or spreading. Leaves are deep green, lanceolate or oval. The height of the bush, depending on the variety, varies from 20 cm to 2 m. There are dwarf varieties that do not exceed 14 cm in height. The shrub is characterized by active growth. The average life of a plant is 20 years.

Shrub growing is available even to gardening neophytes for the following reasons:

• the plant is undemanding to lighting, it grows equally well both in the sun and in the shade;
• not susceptible to attacks of pests, resistant to diseases;
• withstands heat, withstands cold winters;
• tolerates pruning well.

Popular types

There are more than a hundred varieties of shrubs, each gardener will select the right variety for his site. Spireas differ not only in the height of the bush, but also in the shape of the branches, leaves, and the shade of the inflorescences. There are spireas blooming in spring, they are distinguished by a white shade of flowers. A separate group is formed by summer flowering shrubs, mainly with bright inflorescences. Hybrids with variegated and yellow leaves are distinguished.

Popular varieties of spirea for the site:

1. Spirea Wangutta is a tall specimen, it can grow up to 2 m and more. Cascading bush with white corymbose inflorescences. Grows rapidly and densely, blooms very luxuriantly. A frequent inhabitant of the sites, for its beauty was named the White Bride and Snow White.
2. Spirea Douglas is a species up to 1.5 m high and up to 2 m wide.It is interesting in paniculate inflorescences of pink flowers. It develops rapidly, budding begins in summer.
3. Spirea Billard is a hybrid of willow spirea and Douglas. Feature of the species: high growth, bright pink inflorescences, panicles.
4. Nipponskaya is a spherical shrub up to 1.5 m tall. The most popular variety is the Nippon Snowmound Spirea. Its characteristic features: large diameter, curved branches, lush white inflorescences.
5. Ivolistnaya is another tall representative. A bush with erect branches reaches 2 m.Panicle inflorescences are formed from white or pink flowers.
6. Macrophylla is a type of Japanese spirea. The owner of long leaves that change color depending on the season: in the spring - purple, in the summer - green, in the fall - yellowish. Summer flowering variety.
7. Spirea Crispa is also a Japanese species. It is a dwarf shrub, not exceeding 0.6 m. The inflorescences are formed from lilac flowers. The decorative value lies in the leaves that change color from reddish to yellow throughout the year.
8. Arguta (sharp-toothed) is a sprawling tall shrub characterized by early flowering. By the end of May, you can see white inflorescences on slightly drooping branches, which makes it look like a waterfall. In addition, Argut's spirea has a pleasant aroma.
9. Spirea Thunberg is a mountain variety native to Korea, Japan and China. Inflorescences are umbellate white flowers that bloom in May. The species bears fruit from the age of three.

A special place is occupied by frost-resistant spireas. For cultivation in the Urals and Siberia, species adapted to unfavorable conditions are suitable. These include: gray spirea, arguta, Vangutta, Thunberg.

Reproduction of spirea: all methods

If one spirea bush on the site is not enough, it is easy to get a whole hedge out of it with your own hands. The best time for breeding is spring or autumn. Optimal weather conditions: it should be warm, but cloudy.

Both vegetative and seed methods are used. The latter is not used for hybrid varieties, since all varietal characteristics of the parent plant are lost. The advantage of the seed method is a large number of seedlings in one procedure. Seed pods are cut unripe, in the middle (for early flowering) or late summer.

Shoots with fruits are placed in an open box and kept for 14 days. Then the spilled seeds are collected and planted in spring or late autumn. For this, the material is placed directly into the "adult" soil and kept moist until germination. After about 2 months, when the sprouts are extended by 1.5-2 cm, a pick is carried out. Spring plantings in the fall can be moved to the main garden bed, autumn plantings - next spring.

Vegetative breeding methods for spirea:

1. Cuttings. The method allows you to preserve all varietal characteristics of the species. Collection and planting is carried out in the fall. Lignified branches of the first year are selected, growing straight up. At least 5 leaves are left on each cutting, the upper ones are cut in half, the lower ones are removed. Before planting, each cutting is kept in a solution of a growth stimulator for at least 10 hours, then each cut is sprinkled with Kornevin powder. Planting is done in wet sand, cuttings are placed at a slight angle. Until winter, the seedlings are kept in the shade and in constant moisture. For the winter, containers with plantings are buried in the ground and sheltered. By the spring, young spireas are transplanted to the garden bed, and in the fall they are relocated to a permanent place.
2. By dividing the bush. The method is used at any time of the year, except for winter, but it is best to divide the spirea in the fall, when the bush does not require special care. Plantings are used 3-4 years old, since older plants have a powerful root system, and it is more difficult to dig them out. The bush removed from the soil is immediately placed in a basin of water for an hour, then taken apart. Each of the divisions should have at least 4-5 strong roots and a strong root lobe. Landing is carried out according to the standard scheme.
3. Layers. The method is used when you need to get a small amount of seedlings. In the spring, with the appearance of buds, some shoots are pressed to the ground, for example, with hairpins, and covered with soil. To speed up rooting, the first buds of the mother plant are removed. It is also necessary to maintain constant soil moisture. For the winter, plants are sheltered from frost.The next spring, the layers are separated from the original bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

How to plant

Planting in open ground is done either in early spring or in autumn before leaf fall. Spring planting is preferred for summer flowering varieties. A well-lit area is selected. Although the plant can withstand partial shade, a large amount of sun will only have a positive effect on its development, and a deficiency will lead to shrinking flowers.

Spireas should be planted in loose soil with a slightly acidic reaction. To fill the pit, a mixture of sand, peat and garden soil is prepared in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. The prepared soil is watered abundantly and left for several days.

Planting stages:

1. The hole is dug twice as large as the root system of the seedling, its parameters are approximately 50 × 50 cm. Before planting, the hole must be aired and dry. At its bottom, a drainage layer of 15 cm is laid from broken brick, crushed stone or coarse sand.
2. If several spirits are planted to create a hedge, a distance of at least 50 cm is maintained between the holes. It is allowed to dig a trench. It is also necessary to maintain the distance when planting next to other plants, since the root system of spirits grows significantly over time.
3. The open root system must be inspected before planting. All damaged roots must be removed with pruning shears.
4. The crown of the seedling needs preliminary pruning. Shoots are shortened by about a third with a pruner. If the root system is too dry, more shoots need to be removed.
5. If the seedling has a closed root system, it is watered abundantly and only then transferred to the prepared hole.
6. The seedling is placed in a hole, leaving the root collar at soil level. The roots need to be spread.
7. The plant is sprinkled with prepared soil mixture, trampled down a little and watered. The trunk circle is covered with a layer of peat mulch.

Advice
If the planting is done in the fall, the young plant must be covered during the cold weather.

How to care for spirea outdoors

Spirea care is not difficult. The main requirement is moderate moisture. The roots are close to the surface and can dry out. Water the plant more often, especially in hot weather. One bush is enough for 15 liters of water twice a week. A layer of mulch will protect the roots from moisture loss.

Loosening of the soil is carried out carefully because of the close-lying root system. All weeds must be removed. You don't have to remove the mulch, just update the layer a little every time.

The first years of life of the spirea builds up the green mass, budding occurs only in the third year. When caring for the spirea, fertilizers should be periodically applied so that the flowering is long and abundant. After the autumn pruning, you need to add a mineral complex for flowering plants. In summer, the shrub is fertilized with organic matter, for example, mullein solution. It is allowed to add a little superphosphate to it - about a matchbox on a bucket of liquid.

Pruning is a mandatory procedure in caring for flowering shrubs, as it grows quickly and sometimes unevenly. The manipulation is carried out in the spring. In early flowering varieties, only the tops of the shoots are subject to removal at the end of flowering. In other species, the branches are cut by a third, while the large bud is left in place. Weak shoots are best removed completely. The larger the pruning, the more the bush grows.

Advice
Weak and diseased branches are removed at any time of the year.

The cultivation of spirea captivates not only beginners, but also gardening masters. It's nice to get a lush flowering bush with little effort. Spirea goes well with other plantings on the site, serve as an excellent frame for paths and reservoirs. Spirea is not only a decorative participant in the landscape, but also strengthens the soil and is even used for medicinal purposes.