Growing and caring for a plant
Billard's Spirea has recently started growing in home gardening. Therefore, many novice gardeners are interested in how to properly care for an ornamental shrub.
Site selection and soil quality
Spirea is unpretentious to growing conditions. In most cases, a seedling planted in open ground quickly takes root and easily adapts to a new environment. In order for the shrub to please with a beautiful and bright flowering, it is better to look after a place well warmed by the sun.
In terms of soil, Billard's cultivar prefers a loose and nutritious substrate with a neutral acidity level.
We do not recommend planting spirea in lowlands, where melt and rain water often collects. It is also worth avoiding areas with a close occurrence of groundwater.
Author's advice
Landing technique
The best period for planting a seedling is the first decade of September. Experienced gardeners recommend choosing a cloudy or rainy day for planting a shrub. If the weather is warm and sunny, reschedule the procedure for the evening.
Spirea root is very delicate and fragile. For this reason, ornamental shrub seedlings are sold in containers.
Pay attention to the condition of the shoot bark when buying planting material
The best period for planting a seedling is early autumn.
Before planting, the seedling is carefully removed from the container and sprayed with a spray bottle. Clods of earth from the root system do not need to be removed. Otherwise, there is a high probability of damage to the root processes.
The planting pit should be 40x40 cm in size. The first layer is laid out with drainage material, the second - with fertilizers mixed with the soil. When planting, make sure that the root collar remains flush with the ground.
If you plan to plant several bushes of Billard's spirea, keep a distance of 40-50 cm between the holes.
Watering and spraying
The ornamental shrub is watered as the topsoil dries out. Try not to overwet the culture. Billard reacts negatively to excess moisture in the soil. At the end of watering, the trunk circle is mulched with hay, straw or peat. A layer of mulch prevents the growth of weeds and maintains the moisture level at the proper level.
Periodically, spirea shrubs are sprayed from a spray bottle. Such manipulations need to be carried out late in the evening. Otherwise, burn spots may appear on the sheet plates.
Top dressing and fertilization
In the first year after planting in a permanent place of growth, Billard's seedling is fed with nitrogen-rich mullein and bird droppings. Organic matter helps the plant grow green mass.
In subsequent years, the flowering shrub can be fertilized with complex mineral compositions "Kemira Lux", "AgroMaster", "Plantafol", "Sudarushka", etc.
Pruning rules
Cut off Billard's spirea, which belongs to summer-flowering varieties, in the fall, 1.5-2 weeks before the onset of frost. Old, dry and damaged shoots are cut at the root. Healthy twigs are shortened by a third. After trimming, the crown of the shrub looks like a hemisphere.
Scheme and algorithm for trimming decorative culture
Features of preparation for winter
Despite the high threshold of winter hardiness (up to -35 ° C), it is better to insulate the ornamental culture for the winter. As a covering material, you can use pine spruce branches, white polypropylene bags or agrofibre.
Popular varieties
Willow spirea does not have a wide varietal variety, but all its forms are distinguished by beautiful and lush flowering, as well as voluminous luxurious crowns.
"Alba"
Representatives of the variety have a height of about 2 m, and the crown is the same size. It has the shape of a wide oval with elongated bright green leaf plates. The shrub is distinguished by its rapid growth, the roots also grow in a fairly short time. Alba (Latin for "white") stands out with snow-white paniculate inflorescences, they appear at the end of June on young shoots. The shrub blooms in abundance, the buds delight the eye with their beauty for more than a month.
The plant lends itself well to pruning, without losing its decorative effect. Normal garden soil is suitable for the variety.
"Grandiflora"
The height of the shrub is 1.5-2 m. Shoots are erect, with light brown bark, on young branches it is reddish-yellow. The crown of the plant is quite dense, rounded. The leaf plates have a solid surface, their size is quite large, unlike other varieties. The shape of the leaves is lanceolate, with a pointed apex.
The top side has a richer dark green color, while the back side is much lighter. In autumn, the crown takes on orange-red hues. Buds "Grandiflora" (which means large-flowered) are large in size, they are collected in lush light pink cylindrical inflorescences. Panicles can be up to 20 cm long. The flowering shrub lasts about 3 weeks.
The variety is characterized by rather rapid growth, but relative fragility. The life cycle lasts 15-20 years. The plant prefers sunny areas, but can grow in partial shade. Spirea does not require special conditions, but prefers well-moistened soil. The shrub is perfectly adapted to the conditions of the city and does not suffer from increased gas pollution.
It also has a high winter hardiness threshold. The variety is used for landscaping streets, parks and squares.
"Billard"
The variety belongs to late-flowering hybrids of willow spirea. In height, the bush can reach up to 2.5 m. Shoots are straight, spreading, densely covered with leaves, old branches are bare, with pronounced ribbing. The leaf plates have dusty edges, the shape is elongated, lanceolate, their length is about 10 cm. The underside of the plates is painted in grayish tones.
With the beginning of autumn, they acquire brown-red shades. The buds do not differ in special sizes, but they have a pleasant sweetish aroma. Dense panicle inflorescences have a narrow elongated shape, reaching 20 cm, and a delicate bright pink color. Lush bloom begins in late summer and lasts almost until mid-autumn. Representatives of the variety are distinguished by their photophilousness, endurance and drought resistance.
Spirea Billard: description and characteristics of the plant
Spirea is traditionally considered a steppe, as well as a mountain dweller. You can find this original and bright plant, mainly in America and Northern Europe, Asia. On the territory of Russia, the plant is represented mainly in the Caucasus Mountains.
This plant was known to the ancient Slavs. But if earlier Spirea was used as rods for cleaning rods, now it can be found only in reserves or in garden plots.
Spirea is considered a real decoration of any garden, and this is not surprising, because the flower has an incredible variety of shapes and shades: the plant can have a pyramidal, rounded or cascade shape. The color of the leaves has a rich palette: it ranges from pale green to unusual silvery. In the autumn - from yellow shades to purple and purple.
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Spirea blooms generously, beautifully and for a long time. Its flowers are represented by small, but lush inflorescences of all kinds of colors: from white to rich lilac and raspberry.
Depending on the flowering time, Spirea is divided into 2 main varieties: summer and spring. The period when the plant blooms depends to a large extent on when it was planted and when the bush was pruned.
Billard's spirea is one of the most popular plant varieties among gardeners and landscape designers due to its unpretentiousness in growing conditions, as well as its unique ability to withstand the effects of low temperatures (for this reason, the variety is very often grown in the harsh northern regions).
Luxurious raspberry and pink inflorescences of Spirea Billards are held on giant stems that reach 3 m in height, grow quite large (about 20 cm in length) and carry a delicate honey scent throughout the garden. Despite the dense and lush blooming inflorescences, the variety does not bear fruit, so the plant can only be used as a decorative element in the garden. The main thing is to carry out spring pruning of bushes on time.
