Diseases and pests
Spirea Douglas practically does not get sick. The most common plant pest is the spider mite. The female of the insect hibernates under foliage fallen from the bush, lays eggs on the leaves in spring, up to 10 clutches per season. Affected leaves die and fall off. Vegetation slows down, Douglas spirea loses its decorative appearance. For preventive purposes, they remove fallen leaves, loosen the soil. In hot weather, completely irrigate the bush. Treat with means: "Akreks", "Keltan", "Phosphamide".
Aphids are less common, they feed on spirea juice, the colony grows rapidly. Without timely measures, the plant will not give flowers, throw off the leaves, and stop growing. They neutralize the pest with drugs: "Pirimor", "Actellik", "Bitoxibacillin".
How spirea is propagated
Seeds
Usually the material is sown in early spring in special seedling boxes or directly into the ground, but in a heated greenhouse. It is easier to grow a seedling culture in room conditions, since it is easy to maintain a certain temperature in the house without additional obstacles to seedlings.
A film is stretched over the containers with seedlings and left in a room with good lighting at standard room temperature until May. Two to three months after the sprouts appear, they dive into the beds in order to grow to the size of full-fledged seedlings.
To activate the formation of good roots, the central root must be shortened during the dive. However, the simplicity of the culture allows planting a sprout in a permanent place without prior germination.
If you remove the first inflorescences from young shrubs, this will benefit the development of the plant. It is most difficult to propagate Douglas spirea by seeds, and this is not a very rational way, due to the fact that the germination rate of seeds is no more than 80%. In addition, the final result often does not live up to expectations - all signs of the mother shrub are missing.
From layering
Reproduction by horizontal layers is the most reliable and less energy-consuming method. It is carried out as follows: in the spring, when the foliage blooms, the peripheral stems of the shrub are bent to the ground, fixing it with a wooden spear or wire, and covered with soil. In order for the future shoot to take a vertical shape in the future, you can drive a small peg near it and tie the top for it, pointing in the right direction.
Appearance and botanical description
Nature has created about a hundred varieties of this plant. There are dwarf shrubs that do not grow higher than 20 cm. There are also tall specimens that can exceed the 2-meter mark.
All are united by a fibrous root system, which is located close to the exit to the surface. Small flowers collected in voluminous inflorescences give a luxurious look to the culture. They are densely and densely placed on each branch, thereby creating a chic natural ensemble.
Flowering plant
The color of the bushes depends on the period of their flowering. Summer varieties shimmer with shades from pale pink to deep red. In the spring, the branches are covered with a snow-white living cover. And the autumn species of spirea delight the eyes with noble purple colors.
The season also affects the appearance of the inflorescences. These can be umbrellas, shields, brushes, or complex panicles. The leaves grow in the next order, the color varies from yellowish to deep green. There are usually 5 petals per flower.
Most of all, the types of spirea differ from each other in branches. They are straight, recumbent, outstretched to the sides or tending upward. The brown shade changes from light to dark, the bark exfoliates.
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Spirea Douglas, description
Perennial spirea Douglas (Tavolga) is a beautiful deciduous shrub from the Pink family. This species is prized primarily by the fact that the inflorescences bloom on young shoots of the current year. Flowering is striking in beauty, pleases with abundance and delicate aroma. Another advantage of the Douglas spirea is its exceptional unpretentiousness.
Specific features of the Douglas spirea:
- Spirea Douglas is a perennial winter-hardy crop. This is an erect melliferous shrub, the height of which reaches 150 cm.
- The natural habitat of the shrub is the western swampy areas of North America. In culture, it is grown everywhere.
- Spirea shoots are erect, pubescent, the bark is painted in red-brown tones.
- The foliage is oblong, light green in color, characterized by slightly pubescent shoots with a reddish-brown bark.
- Lanceolate foliage has an oblong shape, its color is light green. The length of the leaf is up to 10 cm. The bottom of each leaf has a milky pubescence, slightly resembling felt.
- Inflorescences of Douglas spirea are paniculate, the color of small flowers is deep pink. The length of the inflorescence reaches 18 cm.
- Flowering lasts from July to September, the average duration is at least 1.5 months. The ability to bloom spirea acquires at the age of three.
In landscape design, Douglas' spirea is used for landscaping garden paths, park alleys, city lawns, and forest edges. In floriculture, the most common spiraea of Douglas "Raspberry Fountain", which is distinguished by crimson inflorescences-panicles, a bright aroma that attracts bees, and increased winter hardiness.
Spirea - planting and care
In home gardens, the spirea flower is one of the most beloved shrubs, because sometimes it is enough just to plant it correctly in order to admire the lush flowering year after year, attracting many bees to the site.
Important! An open field plant feels great wherever in winter the temperature does not drop below -35 ° C
What care for spirea needs to be provided
To make the shrub look beautiful, it must be pruned in early spring or fall after the foliage has fallen. From 3-4 years of age, top dressing is recommended 2-3 times per season with complex mineral fertilizer or mullein solution. Watering will be required in case of drought for more than 1 month. From diseases, the bushes are sprayed for prophylaxis in the spring along with other crops on the site - this is enough to protect against fungal infections.
Where to plant spirea on the site
For propagation of an existing bush, you can use cuttings, layering. Propagating by seeds only species forms (not hybrids) will turn out. Regardless of the variety chosen for planting, a well-lit area located on a small hill should be allocated. Spirea does not like moisture stagnation at the roots. Any soil is suitable, but it is worth adding more humus and a small amount of sand to it before planting for better aeration.
Note! Tall bushes are planted near fences or walls of buildings
Application in landscape design
The selection of varieties can give any garden the desired mood. For example, Spiraea (S. prunifolia) is widely used to create compositions in the Japanese style. An elegant hedge up to 2 m high, beautiful all year round, will give an ordinary planting, for example, a rowan-leaved spirea. A picturesque contrast with green-leaved crops will be the Kalinolistnaya spirea with its maroon leaves, as well as the Yellow spirea.
Those who need to purchase an ornamental shrub that will look great even without care should pay attention to the spirea. Many varieties with flowers of white, pink, yellowish shades of different heights and shapes of foliage will help you find your own, the most beautiful solution for the garden
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Spirea Douglas in landscape design
Spirea of this type is the most popular among professional designers and amateur gardeners. The Douglas variety is planted in the composition, as a background accent, as a decoration for alleys, near water bodies.
The use of Douglas spirea (pictured) in the landscape design of the site:
- in the form of a composition in the center of a flower bed;
- to highlight a certain part of the garden;
- distribution along the edges of the garden path creates a visual perception of the alley;
- as a hedge to mark areas on the site;
- to create a background near a building wall.
In combination with low-growing flowers, the plant is used in rockeries to draw attention to a specific composition of stones. Distributed along the edges of the alpine slide.
In urban recreation areas, squares, parks, Douglas spirea is planted as a hedge near sanitary areas, benches, along alleys. It is harmoniously combined with conifers, juniper, Japanese pine. A Douglas spirea placed under a maple tree will favorably emphasize the foliage of the tree.
Flowering gray spirea
Usually this type of spirea blooms in mid-May, covering the bush with delicate white flowers, which are collected in beautiful inflorescences-shields. Since the inflorescences of gray spirea are located along the entire length of the shoot, from a distance it seems that the bush is luxuriantly powdered with snow and looks like a large white ball. That is why the people call the gray spirea "snow in May".
In areas with colder climates, flowering may begin in late May or even early June.
The flowering period of sulfur spirea lasts up to one and a half months or more. Even after flowering, the bush performs its decorative function thanks to thin graceful branches scattering from the trunk to the sides like jets of a fountain. The color of the leaves in summer is rich, intense green, and in autumn they become golden yellow. The seeds ripen by the end of June - early July, but they are not used for plant propagation.
