Spiraea pink planting and care. Spiraea willow: description and detailed characteristics of the variety

Spiraea or meadowsweet is a type of deciduous ornamental shrubs family Rosaceae. Translated from Greek, “speira” means “bend,” and the validity of this name is confirmed by the special flexibility of spirea branches. The main advantage of spirea is its unpretentiousness. Spiraea has more than 100 varieties of shrubs growing in semi-deserts, forest-steppe and steppe.

Japanese spirea: photos and types

Shrubs of the genus Spiraea can be either dwarf (20 cm) or quite tall (up to 2.5 m). The roots are fibrous and shallow. The branches are recumbent or spreading, erect or creeping, from bright burgundy to dark, the bark can peel off longitudinally. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, have 3-5 lobes, rounded or lanceolate. The flowers of the shrub are small, but numerous, and can form a wide variety of inflorescences - spicate, paniculate, corymbose, pyramidal.

The color of the buds varies, from pure white to pink. U different varieties spirea inflorescences are located differently: some completely along the shoot, some only on top of the shoot or only at the end of the branches. Spiraea reproduce by seeds, dividing the bush, cuttings or layering.

The vangutta bush is used for group plantings and hedges. Dwarf species are excellent for organizing living “carpets”, rock gardens and rose gardens. Spiraea also looks beautiful as an independent plant.

Varieties and varieties of spirea

Some varieties and varieties of spirea are often used in cultivation, while others are used quite rarely. According to flowering time, all shrubs are divided into:

• Summer flowering;
• Spring-flowering.

Spring-blooming spirea

They are characterized by early flowering, and are also distinguished by the fact that they have flowers of various shades of pure white, blooming on last year's shoots. It begins to bloom only in the second year of the shoot’s life. These plants are characterized by dense tillering. The following varieties of spirea are popular in gardening.

Gray spirea

This is a hybrid of the whitish-gray and St. John's-leaved spirea - in fact, it is a white spirea, and it is called gray because of the color of the leaves. The plant reaches a size of about 190 cm, branches are drooping, lanceolate leaves are gray below, corymbose buds of white color are located along the entire length of the shoot. It begins to bloom from early May to early July. The most common types.

"Grefsheim"

The height and diameter of this variety is 1.6–2.1 m, red-brown branches, spreading crown, drooping branches, flowers up to 1.1 cm in size, double, pure white, collected in umbrellas. The bush is a honey plant, the flowering period is up to 50 days, it begins to bloom from the age of 2.

Spiraea Wangutta

Vangutta is a hybrid of three-lobed and Cantonese spirea - a large shrub up to 2.5 m high and with a diameter, drooping branches, three-lobed leaves, bare, jagged, bluish below, rich green above, turning orange-red in autumn. Multiple spherical buds of vangutta consist of pure white flowers in a circle up to 0.7 cm and are located along the entire perimeter of the branch. It begins to bloom in early July, and in rare cases it blooms again in September.

Spiraea nipponensis

IN natural conditions grows on o. Honshu, grows up to 2.1 m, the crown is dense and spherical, has horizontal branches, leaves up to 5 cm, blooms for up to one month from the end of May with corymbose flowers of green-yellow color up to 1.5 cm in size, and has purple flowers in bud.

Spiraea arguta

The earliest of the spring-blooming flowers. A spreading shrub measuring 1.6–2.1 m, has a rather attractive appearance, and also cascading flowering branches that consist of multiple white fragrant flowers located along all branches. This variety of spirea blooms for one month from the beginning of June.

Spiraea: varieties and photos of flowering shrubs

Summer-blooming spirea

These are varieties where the inflorescences are located at the end of young shoots and in which last year’s shoots dry out over time, first of all. represented by varieties of Japanese spirea. In most of its varieties, Japanese spirea has pink color, but in rare cases it can be red-pink.

Japanese spirea

A beautiful plant with tomentose branches when young, and bare when they age. Up to 1.1–1.6 m in size, the leaves are ovate and oblong, bluish below, green above, purple, red, yellow in autumn. Japanese spirea blooms for up to 50 days with pink-red buds collected in corymbose inflorescences located at the ends of the shoots. The most common varieties.

Little princesses

The plant is only 0.7 m in size, the crown is 1.3 m in circumference, round, the leaves are rich green, oval in shape, the corymbose buds consist of pink-red flowers with a diameter of 4-5 cm, it begins to bloom at the end of June.

Golden princesses

One of the types of the variety described above, differs in that it can grow up to 1.1 m and has yellow leaves.

Shirobana

A low-growing bush (0.7–0.9 m), but the crown size is 1.3 m, the leaves are small (3 cm), rich green, narrow-lanceolate. The buds are pink or white and begin flowering in early July.

Goldflame

The bush is 0.9 m high, the orange-yellow leaves become rich yellow over time, then green, and in the fall - bright orange. The buds are pink-red, small in size.

Crispa

A low openwork bush up to 0.5 m in size and slightly larger in width, multiple erect shoots, a spherical crown, flowers - flat umbrellas measuring 5.6 cm, consisting of small bright pink inflorescences with a lilac tint, begins flowering in June.

In addition to Japanese spirea, there are the following varieties of summer-flowering plants.

Boumalda

This is a hybrid of white-flowered and Japanese spirea - a low bush measuring 60–90 cm. The branches are erect. The leaves are green in summer and yellow, purple, and red in autumn. Flowering lasts approximately 2 months. The most cultivated variety of spirea Bumalda Goldflame. This plant is 0.7 cm in size, the leaves are initially silvery-orange, then become bright gold, then rich green, and then autumn time- bright red. But such changes occur when the plant is located in the sun.

Willow spirea

A bush 2 m high with upright branches of a brown-red-yellow hue, the leaves have a pointed shape, up to 15 cm in size, pink or white buds are collected in pyramidal inflorescences approximately 25 cm in size.

Spiraea douglas

A shrub measuring 1.5 m with pubescent and straight brown-red branches. The leaves are 4–9 cm in size, deep pink, oblong buds are collected in pyramidal, apical inflorescences; flowering lasts 1.5 months, starting in June.

Billard

This is a hybrid of willow leaf and Douglas spirea - plant size up to 2.1 m, lanceolate leaves up to 12 cm long, deep pink flowers, collected in narrow pyramidal inflorescences. Flowering begins in early July.

Features of cultivation

Any plant has certain requirements for both cultivation and care. Spiraea also has some features:

• Spiraea prefers turf or leaf soil. The best composition: one part peat and sand and 2 parts earth;
• A drainage layer is definitely required;
• Spirea is planted in a hole that is 1/3 larger than the butt of the bush;
• Planting depth is not less than 1.5 m, while the root collar of the shrub must be at surface level;
• It is necessary to plant spirea in cloudy weather, ideally in rain. Best time- end of August;
• Desirable neighbors - spruce, juniper.

Planting in spring

In spring, only summer spireas are planted. The main condition for planting in the spring is to have time before the leaves begin to bloom. When you purchase plant seedlings, carefully examine the root system - it should not be very dry. Look at the condition of the seedling's shoots, and purchase only if they have good buds and are flexible. Bring planting raw materials into compliance:

• When the roots are damaged or very dry, cut off the branches;
• When the roots of the seedling have grown very large, shorten them.

If the roots are dry during storage, then water them, and only then plant them.

Spiraea red - unpretentious flower in care, but for abundant and long-lasting flowering, some conditions must still be met: the soil must be fertile, and the area must be illuminated by the sun. In addition, spirea bushes create abundant root shoots, which increases the area occupied by the flower, and this must be taken into account when planting spirea.

In the place where the bush will be planted, it is necessary to dig a hole with clearly vertical walls, at least 1/3 larger size seedling roots. Then you need to let the pit stand for 3-5 days. On the day of planting (it is best if the weather is rainy), it is necessary to make a drainage layer of 16–22 cm from broken bricks, add turf or leaf soil, as well as sand and peat, to the hole, mix it all, lower the roots of the plant into the hole, cover it with soil and then compact it. Immediately after planting, the bush is watered with 1-2 buckets of water.

Planting in autumn

In autumn, both late-flowering and spring-flowering plants are planted. Usually, autumn planting combined with plant seedlings by dividing the bush. This must be done before the leaves fall. Plants that are about 4 years old are replanted and divided; older bushes can also be replanted, but this is more difficult to do due to the large lump of earth, which is difficult to wash off.

The bush must be dug up, covering a diameter of slightly more than half the projection of the crown. Most likely, you will need to chop off a couple of roots, but this will not cause much harm to the bush. After the roots of the extracted plant are washed thoroughly. If the bush is young and has not grown much, simply place it in a bucket of water and let the soil soften and settle in the container, then wash the roots under running water, straightening them at the same time. Cut the plant into 2-3 parts with pruning shears so that each has a root lobe and several strong shoots.

Make a hole, place a mound in the center, place the seedling on it and level the roots. Fill the hole with soil. Water the bush with water in several passes.

Plant care

We have already mentioned the basic requirements:

• good drainage;
• fertile and loose soil;
• bright lighting;
• mulching with peat immediately after planting.

What else is needed for a plant to please you with long and beautiful flowering?

Since spirea has shallow roots, it does not tolerate dry soil well and dries out, so it requires moderate watering during the dry season: 16 l each water per plant twice a month. Loosening the soil is necessary, as is periodic weeding. The plant is fed with mineral supplements after pruning the bush, and in July it is advisable to fertilize the bush with a solution of mullein.

Among the pests of spirea, spider mites and aphids are usually annoying. Mites can be destroyed with karbofos, and aphids with pirimor. But most often, spirea are not susceptible to disease, and pests do not cause much harm.

Trimming

Spiraea grows a lot, so it needs to be pruned periodically. In early flowering plants, since flowering occurs along the entire length of the shoot, only the tips that have frozen over the winter are trimmed each year, but after 10 years, all old shoots are removed from the plant Thus, the bush is cut off almost to the stump, so that a new bush can then be formed from the 4–7 healthy young shoots, cutting off other shoots during the growing season. After a few years, old or weak shoots are removed from the plant again. At the ends of the shoots, pruning should be done in the spring, before the leaves bloom.

Summer-flowering plants are pruned every year in May. It is necessary to trim the shoot to large buds; it is advisable to remove small and weak shoots altogether. The stronger the pruning, the more powerful the shoots will be. It is necessary to periodically remove aging shoots, otherwise they will dry out on their own. When the plant is 4 years old, you can cut the spirea every year to a height of 35 cm from the surface of the earth, but if even then the bushes have weak growth, you need to think about replacing the flower, although, in general, late flowering varieties live 16–21 years.

From the photo of spirea in landscape design one can judge its high decorativeness and versatility of this flower in different seasons of the year. In spring, the bushes are early covered with beautiful variegated or green leaves, after which abundant and prolonged flowering occurs, even after which the spirea does not lose its attractiveness.

This plant, pleasing to the eye with its beauty, can be called one of the most popular and respected among gardeners. Today spirea in the garden is very fashion trend. But this bush can be found not only in gardens, but also in city parks. The culture has more than 100 species and varieties, which simply amaze with the variety of shapes and shades.

Spiraea is an ornamental shrub that belongs to the Rosaceae family. The plant deservedly received its name for the flexibility of its branches, because “speira” is translated from Greek as “bend”.

There is dwarf spirea (up to 15 cm in height) and very tall (up to 2 m). Depending on the variety and type, spirea blooms from May to September. If you want to observe the beauty of this gorgeous plant all summer, it is enough to plant not just one type or variety of crop on your site, but as many as possible. Spiraea flowers look like small threads, forming fluffy inflorescences of various shades - light pink, crimson, white.

The plant has a shallow fibrous root system. Depending on the variety, the inflorescences may be located at the tips of the shoots or throughout their growth. Spiraea leaves can be round or pointed and have a rich green color, and erect or creeping branches are light brown or dark color and periodically peeling bark.

Most often, bushes are planted in whole groups. A spirea hedge looks very beautiful, but a single plant also looks gorgeous.

Types and varieties of spirea

The culture has more than 100 varieties, but only a few of them are used for cultivation today. Depending on the time of flowering, plants are:

• spring flowering;
• summer flowering.

Spring-blooming spirea

The flowers of spring-flowering spirea bloom in the second year of the bush's life on last year's shoots; they can only have a white color of various shades - darker or lighter. Spring-flowering spirea is characterized by strong tillering.

Popular varieties of spring-flowering spirea:

1. Gray spirea - hybrid St. John's wort and whitish-gray spirea. The flowers of the plant themselves are white, and the culture got its name from the gray color of the leaves. This is a tall bush up to 2 m, with thin branches on which white flowers grow. Flowering time is from May to mid-June.
2. The variety “Grefsheim” is considered unpretentious among gray spireas. It grows up to 2 m. long This is a bush with thin branches of red-brown color, a wide spreading crown, snow-white flowers - umbrellas with a diameter of 1 cm. It blooms for up to 45 days and serves as an excellent honey plant.
3. Spiraea Wangutta - was the result of crossing Cantonese and three-lobed spirea.

You can see how spirea is used in landscape design in the photo.

Summer-blooming spirea

It blooms only in summer with pinkish or red-pink flowers, which are located at the ends of young shoots, and last year's shoots dry out during this period. The most popular and sought after variety among gardeners among those that bloom in summer is Japanese spirea.

Japanese spirea bushes reach 1.5 m in length. The bright green, succulent, oblong leaves turn yellow, red, and sometimes purple in the fall. The plant blooms for about 45 days with inflorescences collected from red-pink, sometimes white flowers, which are comfortably located at the ends of the shoots.

Popular varieties of Japanese spirea:

1. "Little Princess" is a small bush up to 0.6 m tall. The crown is rounded, the leaves are dark green and oval-shaped. The inflorescences are red and reach 4 cm in diameter. Blooms from June to July. It is distinguished by very slow growth.
2. "Golden Princess" - similar to the "Little Princess" variety. It differs only in its taller growth up to 1 m and sometimes yellow foliage.
3. "Shirobana" is a low-growing plant up to 0.6-0.8 m, but with a wide crown of at least 1.2 m. It has very narrow dark green leaves and inflorescences - umbrellas of white or pink-white flowers.

In addition to Japanese spirea, summer-flowering shrubs include:

1. Birch leaf spirea - the leaves of the shrub resemble birch leaves, which is why it got its unusual name. The low bush grows up to 60 cm, has a lush ball shape and zigzag shoots, at the ends of which white inflorescences bloom.
2. Spiraea loosestrife - a bush up to 2 m high, has erect red-yellow or brown shoots, leaves with sharp ends of light green color and pink inflorescences in the form of pyramidal panicles 20 cm long, located at the ends of the branches.

Growing and care

Despite its beauty and nobility, spirea is unpretentious; its cultivation and care of the crop does not cause much trouble for gardeners, and yet it is necessary to take into account some requirements.

Features of cultivation:

1. Spiraea grows well on loose, fertile soil, leaf and turf. The ratio of sand, peat and soil is 1:1:2.
2. The shrub loves a lot of light and does not tolerate stagnant water.
3. In spring, only summer-flowering crops can be planted, and spring-flowering crops may not take root.
4. It is best to use broken bricks as drainage.
5. The hole for planting spirea should be 1/3 larger than the root of the bush.
6. Spiraea seedlings must be buried at least 50 cm, but keep in mind that the root collar of the seedling must be at ground level.
7. It is better to plant spirea on cool, cloudy days.
8. The most favorable month for planting is September.
9. As neighbors with whom the spirea will not have a conflict, it is better to choose spruce, thuja and juniper.

Reproduction of spirea

Spiraea reproduces in several ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• layering.

Growing from seeds

Spiraea seeds are most often propagated in special nurseries. In early spring they are sown in large boxes with specially prepared soil. 2-3 months after the first shoots hatch, they are planted in open ground. The top is pinched to strengthen the root system of the bush. The first flowering of plants grown from seeds can be seen after 3-4 years, during which spirea requires proper care - weeding, fertilizing, loosening the soil and regular watering.

Growing by cuttings

The most correct way to better preserve the variety of crops such as spirea is to propagate by cuttings or layering. The shoots that have become lignified this year are cut into 10 cm cuttings. You can take both the tops of the shoots and the rest of them. After cutting, the cuttings are dipped in a special solution “Kornevin”, which promotes the formation of a strong root system. The cuttings are planted in July in well-fertilized soil, and by the beginning of autumn the spirea will have formed good roots.

Cultivation by layering

Another reliable and easy way to propagate spirea is by layering. For this purpose, crops that are already 3-4 years old, but no more, are suitable. In the spring, when the first leaves bloom, you just need to bend the longest peripheral branches to the ground, secure them with wire and sprinkle them well with soil. At proper care After the layering, by the beginning of autumn you will have another plant. In order for it to strengthen better and grow more actively, you will need to tear off the young leaves.

Planting spirea

If spirea does not yet grow on your site, planting can be done from purchased seedlings. It is best to purchase them in specialized stores or nurseries.

Planting spirea in spring:

1. When purchasing seedlings, you should pay attention to their roots. If they are very dry, do not buy such a seedling or moisten the roots well before planting. In case of strong growth of roots, they need to be trimmed a little.
2. It is very important to have time to plant the shrub even before the first leaves bloom on it.
3. Shoots on seedlings should be flexible, not overdried, with large buds.
4. After you have dug a hole to plant a seedling in it, let it sit for 2-3 days, then lower the drainage into it.
5. Wait for a cloudy day and start planting - pour a bucket of water into the hole and lower the seedling into it.
6. Cover the roots with soil and compact the soil well.
7. Water the plant with 1-2 buckets of water and mulch with peat.

Planting spirea in autumn:

1. In the fall, you can plant both summer-flowering shrubs and spring-flowering shrubs.
2. For greater convenience, you can combine planting seedlings with propagation by layering.
3. During the same period, you can not only plant new seedlings, but also replant old bushes, but this must be done before the end of leaf fall.
4. When transplanting, the plant is dug out along with the soil, which in circumference is slightly more than half the crown of the bush. For convenience, you can draw a circle and then start digging.
5. Place the bush in a container of water so that the soil sinks to the bottom.
6. After this, rinse the roots with a hose and cut the bush using pruning shears into 2-3 seedlings so that each has at least 2-3 strong shoots.
7. Your new seedlings are now ready to be planted. Then proceed in the same way as for spring planting.

Spirea care

Despite its unpretentiousness, spirea, like any other shrub, requires certain care:

1. Considering that spirea has a shallow root system, it requires regular moisturizing. In hot summers, the bushes are watered 2-3 times a month, pouring 2-3 buckets of water under each plant.
2. In order to enrich the soil with oxygen, regular loosening of the soil is necessary.
3. Don't forget to weed the ground under the bushes.
4. One of the most important conditions good growth of spirea is regular fertilizing with fertilizers. The first feeding with minerals is carried out immediately after pruning, the second with organic matter (mullein solution with the addition of superphosphates in proportions of 10 g per 10 l) in mid-summer.
5. And, of course, we must not forget to fight pests that plague the spirea. The most dangerous ones can be aphids and spider mites. The first is fought with the help of karbofos, with the second drug pirimor.

Spirea pruning

Shrubs tend to grow strongly and spirea is no exception.

Pruning spring flowering shrubs:

1. Pruning of spirea in spring is carried out after flowering.
2. Spring-flowering plants are rarely pruned; only if necessary, old five-year-old shoots that are frostbitten or damaged should be removed.
3. It is important to know that young faded shoots are not pruned, as this can cause active growth of side branches, as a result of which the inflorescences on them will grow weak and not very lush, and the bush itself will lose its shape.

Pruning summer flowering shrubs:

1. Pruning is carried out in early spring on bushes that are already 4 years old.
2. The shoots are shortened, leaving no more than 20-25 cm above the ground. This will help maintain the individual shape of the bush and will not allow mature branches to spread out.
3. You cannot trim only the tops of the shoots; this will cause the young branches to grow thin and produce weak inflorescences.

As you can see, in order to grow a beautiful and healthy bush on your plot, you do not need special skills or extensive experience. The noble and chic spirea will delight you with its beauty all season long.

Growing spirea. Video

Preface

In the arsenal of the majority landscape designers There is a spirea, planting and caring for which is so simple that even the busiest summer resident will find a moment to decorate his plot with this shrub. What are the features of growing this beauty?

The genus Spiraea has from 80 to 100 species and each has its own name. In Rus', spirea has been called meadowsweet since ancient times. Varieties differ in the shape of the inflorescences, many color shades, and type of leaves. The name of this plant comes from the Greek word speira (bend). Indeed, the thin shoots bend gracefully, forming beautiful bushes of lush green masses and bright colors on the surface of the bush. Spiraea is perennial, so every year new branches appear and the bush becomes denser. Without proper care, in some cases it rises above human height. This is absolutely unpretentious plant. Perhaps with a lack of lighting, the color saturation of the inflorescences is slightly less, but even this does not detract from their beauty.

All spirea can be divided into two groups - spring-flowering and summer-flowering. Those that bloom in spring, after hibernation resemble clumsy mastodons. Their flowers appear on two-year-old shoots. The latter begin to bloom in mid-summer. Inflorescences are formed on young shoots of the first year or on new lateral shoots of the second year. Last year's branches become coarser and subsequently dry out. They also differ in the shades of the inflorescences. Summer flowers have pleasant pink and red shades.

In the spring, Spiraea Gray blooms before everyone else and begins to delight the summer resident - the most popular flower due to its unpretentiousness and grace. Many experts are still arguing: Are spirea flowers or shrubs? Spiraea Gray, like a rose, is a harmonious combination of both properties. This magnificent shrub is so lush that a neighbor passing by will not be able to see anything through it. The shoots of spirea are powerful and flexible; thick and dense inflorescences of small white flowers are formed at the tops of the branches. And when the whole bush blooms, it looks very much like a lush wedding veil. It’s not for nothing that people call her “bride.” Unmatched honey aroma Attracts bees, bumblebees and other pollinating insects.

Flower "Spiraea Gray"

Here are some more spring-blooming varieties. Thin, graceful branches of Spiraea Sharp-toothed, also called Arguta, spread out in all directions. It has small, green leaves with jagged edges that resemble a saw blade. Looks very harmonious alone on the lawn. The flowers are white, up to 8 mm in diameter, in numerous umbrella-shaped inflorescences tightly hugging the shoots. This shrub grows quite slowly - about 20 cm per year. Spiraea alpine and Spiraea Thunberga also bloom in spring. All of them are similar to each other, and differ only in the shape of the leaves and the size of the inflorescences.

Japanese spirea was bred by Japanese and Chinese gardeners many centuries ago. This is a low-growing shrub with bright, pink flowers and inflorescences. Japanese spirea blooms for about 2 months. The leaves are bright green, but closer to autumn they change color. Tolerates frost well.

Various hybrid varieties with all possible shades of flowers, bush sizes, leaf shapes and structures have been created over the years. For example, Spiraea Boumalda is a hybrid between Japanese and white spirea with flowers ranging from pale pink to dark red. This is a low shrub, only 70 cm, with a spherical crown and erect branches. The leaves are smooth and up to 8 cm long. Flowering time is about 2 months.

Billard's Spiraea is a frost-resistant hybrid between the spreading Douglas-fir Spiraea and Willow-leaved Spiraea, has wide leaves 10 cm long, felt-like below to the touch, and smooth on top. Blooms after July and before the first frost. It takes root well in shaded areas, but blooms more profusely in brighter areas.

Spiraea is best grown by cuttings. Weak shoots grow from the seeds, take root poorly and do not bloom profusely. Hybrid varieties may not sprout at all.

You need to prepare for planting at the end of summer. For cuttings, take annual shoots with already slightly roughened bark. Cut 10 centimeter pieces so that there are 3 or 4 leaves left on them. If there is one on a branch side shoots, they must be cut in half and the leaves completely removed from the main trunk. For initial rooting, you can plant the cuttings in plastic containers, for example, from plastic bottles or another suitable container and cover them with transparent caps, from the same bottles or a glass jar.

Planting an annual shoot of spirea

Place these containers in the garden, in the shade, and keep them until cold weather sets in. Spiraea loves moist soil, so it is necessary to periodically moisten the soil in cups. In late autumn, when the garden is preparing for winter, but frost has not yet set in, you need to bury the already slightly rooted cuttings somewhere in a convenient place. It should be properly mulched and covered with a box so that the snow in winter covers the seedlings like a fur coat and prevents them from freezing. In the spring it will be possible to transplant the finished seedlings to permanent place residence.

Japanese spirea can be propagated by layering using exactly the same technology as conventional garden strawberries. A young shoot with leaves is taken and pressed to the ground so that one or more buds are in the ground. Attach it with something so that the tip of the branch points up. By autumn, roots will emerge from the buds in the ground and it will be possible to transplant the finished bush to another place. After final planting, spirea needs to be watered abundantly. The soil around the roots must be loosened for better access of oxygen to the roots and covered with mulch on top so that weeds do not develop and interfere with the growth of spirea.

In order for spirea to always delight us with its beauty, it is necessary to properly care for it. All care consists of competent and timely pruning. The main thing is to remember two rules: prune spring spirea before flowering, and cut summer spirea after. It is practically impossible to spoil the plant by excessive pruning. To ensure that the bushes are always lush and green, you need to cut out old shoots every year in the spring. Right at the root. And form the rest the way you like. The main thing is not to do this during flowering.

After the buds have bloomed, they can be removed immediately. This is done so that the plant does not waste energy and its juices to form a seed fund. Subsequently, the spirea bush will bloom again in early autumn. The top of each branch can be cut off. This can control growth and stimulate the development of secondary shoots. Interestingly, every cut bush or twig can be used as planting material.

It is also necessary to remember that, like any plant, spirea needs minerals and fertilizer. But you don't need to do this too often. Mature plant can even survive a slight drought. Feeding can be done two or three times per season, and the first time in early spring. During the dry summer months, it won't hurt to water it, but not too often. Good and developed root system able to provide her own food.

After a few years, the spirea may fade a little. To make it come to life again, it is enough to thin it out. Choose an autumn, cloudy day for this so that the roots do not dry out in the sun during transplantation. Water the soil generously and dig up the desired bushes the next day. Free as many roots as possible from the soil; it is better to take this soil to the other end of the garden. Remove all damaged roots and leave strong ones with lateral branches. When planting in a new place, add compost or peat to the hole. Mulch the planting site properly. Do not forget to water every day until the leaves on the bushes rise.

Thinning flower bushes

One of dangerous pests Spiraea is considered a spider mite. Its females spin webs on internal sides leaves and lay eggs there. Infected leaves have white spots on the upper side. The leaves soon turn yellow, dry out and fall off. You can cope with the scourge with the help of Agravertin, Actellik, Vertimek, as well as other tick repellents.

If you see blackened ends on the branches, these are signs of fire blight. You need to completely cut out this shoot and burn it.

Excessive watering and stagnation of water in the roots can cause yellowing and dying of leaves, and subsequently drying of the tips of the plant.

Spiraea is very popular among landscape designers. A variety of varieties allow you to design your garden so that it is surrounded by greenery or flowers. Or you can make it so that part of the garden fades, and behind it another part begins to bloom. There are many options. Spiraea can be shaped with bright flowers. Low-growing shrubs can be used to decorate areas along paths and near the facade of the house on sunny side. Individual bushes will look like lush islands in the green ocean. Spiraea organized into a long hedge can be used to visually separate the play area from the vegetable garden.

Hedge- a very effective technique for any design. It can serve as a barrier from prying attention, to emphasize different zones garden, can also be a decorative background for other compositions. Hedges can be either straight or curved. Straight ones are usually planted along fences or garden paths. And curved ones can create a volume effect. Every year, such a hedge is trimmed and the crown is formed. Branches protruding beyond the general row are pruned. You can also constantly shorten the tops of the shoots to make the crown more luxuriant. Growing a bush wall requires a lot of patience because they grow very slowly. You need to approach garden planning very responsibly and take into account not only the time required for formation the right size, but also to predict what color, shape and density the bushes will be in a few years and how they will combine with other elements.

Hedges in landscape design

The soil around such a fence quickly depletes. Take this into account when landing. It is better to choose soil that is sufficiently fertile for these purposes. To form a hedge, you need to plant spirea in rows at a distance of 5 cm from each other. To prevent the young plant from dying from excess moisture, it is necessary to create a drainage layer at a depth of about half a meter. A well-crushed brick or expanded clay is poured into an even layer at the bottom of the trench. Over time, after a few years, this brick in the ground will soften and become a homogeneous mass. The width of the trench should be one third greater than the root system.

In free-standing shrubs, you can form a crown in the form of various geometric shapes: a ball (the most common among gardeners), all kinds of cones, cubes and even animal figures. In England they even organize unique competitions landscape design and submit shrubs in the form of dragons and castles for evaluation.

Spiraea (meadowsweet)- a shrubby deciduous plant from the Rosaceae family. Belongs to ornamental plants, used to decorate landscape compositions.

The plant is very popular. It is best to use spirea for group planting. Often, hedges are created with the help of this shrub. There are also dwarf varieties spirea, which look great as an element of a stone garden, creating carpets along with others low growing plants and for rockeries. However, the spirea bush can also become a central composition, separately planted in the garden.

The spirea bush attracts attention in mid-summer, when most varieties have already bloomed. Growing a plant is convenient for both novice gardeners and experienced gardeners who just want to enjoy the process, relax and enjoy the flowering.

Features of care: spirea flowering

Most varieties of spirea are summer-flowering plants. In general, spirea is an unpretentious plant to care for. One of the basic methods of caring for shrubs is pruning every year.

How to prune spirea for flowering?

Spirea pruning is carried out in the spring (early period). In order to stimulate the beginning of flowering, it is necessary to shorten the shoot to large buds. Small and weak shoots are removed from the spirea bush, as well as those strong ones that did not bloom last year. After 4 years on the site, the spirea bush is cut to 30 cm.

Summer-flowering spirea shrubs do not bloom at the same time, so if the expected, lush decoration does not appear on the site, you may need to wait a little.

Why does spirea not bloom:

• Clogged soil mixture;
• Lack of watering;
• Temperature changes;
• Not pruned;

Spiraea is an unpretentious plant that is resistant to diseases and weather changes, however, even such a tin soldier may have problems.

First of all, it is worth considering the conditions necessary for development: air temperature, sufficient lighting. Despite the fact that spirea can withstand any cold and temperature changes, there is no eternal life under the sun - the shrub can also suffer from violations of basic care.

Watering spirea- regular activity. It is recommended to water the spirea not too often, but an overdried soil mixture is clearly detrimental to the shrub.

Under clogged with soil mixture This means planting the plant not in soil that is neutral and loose in consistency, but in heavy soil. soil mixture with a shifted acid-base balance in either direction. There is also no need to feed spirea with fertilizers that it cannot “digest.”

Trimming- This is the main source of spirea flowering. Spring pruning is carried out annually. For spring-blooming spireas, dooming should be done as early as possible.

The problem with flowering occurs mainly precisely in spring spireas, since they are weaker and more frail than summer varieties of shrubs. Planting this type of spirea requires additional care and protection from negative impact unsuitable weather conditions, and one hundred percent care in compliance with the basic rules.