Japanese spirea. Photo and description of the shrub, planting, care, propagation in open ground

In large garden areas you can often spot Japanese spirea. This slow-growing plant usually decorates large flower beds and flower beds. After all, the bush, according to the description, has very developed roots. In the photos provided, it is noticeable that it takes root equally well with both coniferous and deciduous plants.

Botanical description

A deciduous shrub, Japanese spirea (or meadowsweet), is valued by gardeners for its attractive inflorescences in the form of corymbs or panicles. This densely pubescent plant with erect shoots has simple leaves with serrated edges.

The branches of the hardy crop resemble spirals. In addition, it has the ability to adapt to almost any natural conditions. The inflorescences of Japanese spirea are located at the top of the stems, as well as along their entire length.

This plant is often decorated with:

group and single compositions;
curbs;
hedges.

Shrub flowers are:

pinkish;
scarlet;
snow-white.

Japanese spirea:

not afraid of diseases and air pollution;
easily tolerates heat and moderate frosts;
does not require regular replanting and digging.

With proper care, a durable honey plant can live for almost 40 years. In the varietal diversity of Japanese spirea, both ground cover species and giants up to 2 m are known. And some of its hybrids can bloom twice a year.

The advantages of Japanese spirea include:

instantly restored crown;
rapid growth and adaptation to pruning;
flowering under any conditions;
attractive flowers and leaves;
a varied shade palette;
long lasting and delicate fragrance of flowers.

Plant care

Although Japanese spirea is an unpretentious plant, with proper care you can achieve more vigorous growth. In this case, it is necessary to periodically loosen the soil and weed it. Then spirea will delight you with the mesmerizing beauty of its lush flowering. It tolerates pruning well, turning it into an extraordinary flowering hedge.

Spiraea “Little Princess”

Watering

In Japanese spirea, the root system is located near the surface of the earth, so the plant does not feel well in drought, and at this time it needs to be provided with a lot of moisture by pouring two or three buckets of water under its bush every 14 days. After pruning, it is also recommended to water the spirea bush abundantly for several weeks.

Japanese spirea hedge

Top dressing

It is necessary to annually add mulch to the soil in the place where the Japanese spirea is planted, which should contain peat, as well as compost or shredded bark. It is also recommended to fertilize the plant immediately after pruning it with mineral fertilizers.

Japanese spirea in an art nouveau garden

Trimming

Pruning of the plant is done in order, firstly, to give the bush a shape, and, secondly, to remove ugly, dried out or aging shoots, which are shortened to the location of viable large buds.

Japanese spirea in garden design

When rejuvenating Japanese spirea, do not be afraid to remove excess.

With the help of bold, high-quality pruning, you can only increase the number of new shoots. Without such a procedure, the old branches of the bush will tilt it down, and the top will begin to dry out.

Some experienced gardeners advise trimming the bush every four years so that only 30 centimeters of its height remain from the ground.

Popular types and varieties

Japanese meadowsweet, which has almost 100 varieties and species varieties, is divided into:

pyramidal;
spherical;
cascade;
weeping;
creeping;
erect.

You can learn more about the characteristics of the varieties from the table below:

Species name	Main characteristics
Shirobana	Medium height, with a height of 80 cm; 1 bush can have inflorescences with different shades.
Crispa	Globular and low-growing, with cream-colored flowers; the hybrid is usually used on alpine hills and borders.
Goldflame	Fast-growing, with a length of up to 1 m; often found in city squares; known for its reddish foliage.
Little Princess	Does not grow in height above 0.8 m; the crown is compact and round, with pink inflorescences and lush green foliage.
Golden Princess	Dwarf shrubs (up to 0.5 m) with lemon-colored leaves and creamy flowers.
Magic Carpet	The crown is cushion-shaped and groundcover, with lush scarlet foliage, which eventually changes to fiery, and lilac-pink flowering.
Anthony Waterer	Grows up to 0.8 m; the leaves are initially reddish, turning green with age; inflorescences are creamy-lilac with a red tint.
Alpina	Low, with dense branches and striped shoots of a round shape; blooms light pink.
Albiflora	A dwarf and slow-growing hybrid with a dense round crown; white flowers; The leaves are light green, turning yellow in autumn.
Microphylla	It grows up to 1.3 m, has pink inflorescences and large wrinkled leaves that change color 3 times.
Dwarf	A miniature variety with small foliage and cream-colored flowers in the form of scutes.
Fairlight	Red-scarlet foliage; flowers are pinkish.
Frobelli	The crown is spherical; branches, bright pink flowers; Purple foliage in spring and fall turns green in summer.
Genpei	Height up to 0.8 m; branches are brown-scarlet; lush green foliage; inflorescences with different shades.
Gold Mound	Dwarf hybrid growing up to 0.3 m.
Darts Red	Similar to Little Princess, but its acidic purple flowers are in delicate cream buds.
Candlelight	A compact variety, sometimes reaching up to 0.5 m in height, with lemon-colored leaves and pinkish inflorescences.
Arguta	When growing, it reaches up to 2 m; umbrella inflorescences are small and white; the crown is lush and large; emerald foliage.
oak leaf	The length sometimes reaches up to 1.5 m, a round and lush crown, sharp foliage and snow-white inflorescences in the form of scutes.
Wangutta	Grows up to 2 m; emerald foliage; hemispherical snow-white flowers.
Willow	Reaches up to 2 m in length; straight shoots with ribs; long and sharp leaves of emerald color; creamy inflorescences resembling cylindrical panicles.
Gray (Bride); subspecies: Graciosa and Grefsheim	Grows up to 1.8 m, lance-shaped emerald foliage and small white inflorescences resembling corymbs.

Japanese spirea (its photo and description will be of interest to any gardener or summer resident) is quite popular in garden and park design. This ornamental shrub has several varieties with different properties. The plant is a subspecies of the rose family.

Arguta can be drought- and frost-resistant. It must be pruned immediately after flowering. This variety is good in hedges. Willow spirea can be planted in cold climates.

Vangutta, which goes well with conifers and lilacs, has 3 breeding types:

Snow white;
Renaissance;
Pink Ice.

It is customary to supplement the bride in living fences with other spirea:

Billard;
Willow;
oak leaf.

Japanese spirea: types
In addition to all the above types of meadowsweet, the following plant varieties are also found in nature:

Gold and greens;
Double play of gold;
Ruberrima;
Big band double play;
Nana;
Pink gold;
Bullata;
Sandrop;
Neon flash;
Golden Elf;
Double play artist;
Manon;
Pink parasol.

Japanese spirea - description of shrub varieties

As I already wrote, the height of the spirea bush ranges from 20 cm to 250 cm. The shortest varieties are used as single plantings in small rock gardens or to create a dense flowering canvas. Plants of medium height are grown in various kinds of flower beds, both independently and with perennial flowers. Tall varieties with a height of 80 cm or more are planted to create a hedge.

To create borders, you can use almost any variety of spirea; bushes with a spherical shape look especially good, using either one variety or alternating varieties with different colors.

Breeders are constantly developing new varieties of Japanese spirea, and the vast majority of them are bred in countries near or far abroad. They differ from each other in the height and shape of the bush, the color of the leaves and flowers, as well as in the flowering period.

Shirobana (Genpei)

Japanese spirea Genpei Shirobana is a small plant, about 70-80 cm high. It is not for nothing that I wrote two words in the name of the variety, the fact is that Japanese spirea Sharobana and Genpei (Jenpei) are two names of the same variety. Sometimes they are used together.

Sharobana is one of the most beautiful summer flowering spireas. It can be called the highlight of any garden. It blooms unusually and profusely. The uniqueness lies in the tricolor. On one bush and even in one inflorescence there can be flowers of white, pink and almost red. Flowering lasts from July to September. Moreover, the sooner you trim off the faded inflorescences, the more new ones will appear on the bushes.

The bush itself is very decorative, has a dense and rounded shape. But at the same time compact, up to 70-80 cm high and a crown diameter of about 1 meter. It gains 10-15 cm in height every year. The shoots of the bush are strong, red-brown in color, with dark green leaves up to 2 cm long. On fertile soils, with regular feeding, the bush can grow even larger.

Sharobana is grown both without cutting and by cutting twice a season. In the first case, the bush takes on a spreading, picturesque shape. In the second, the bush blooms more profusely, the green foliage is practically invisible, the shape of the bush is clearly defined. It always blooms on the shoots of the current year. Prefers sunny areas with light and loose soil.

Froebelii

Japanese spirea Frobeli is a beautiful, unpretentious and functional plant. Compact shrub up to 120 cm high, approximately the same diameter, spherical in shape. It stands out for its spectacular spring-autumn foliage color and very beautiful summer raspberry-pink flowering. Thanks to the constant presence of shades of red on the leaves or flowers, the plant looks great almost all year round.

Spiraea Frobeli is used to create borders, shrub mixborders, and also in group plantings. Ideal for creating seasonal compositions. Flowering lasts from July to September. The variety is light-loving, but also tolerates partial shade. It is not picky about soil fertility and moisture, but prefers fertile and moist soil.

The plant is resistant to diseases and pests, but sometimes suffers from aphids and spider mites. Frost resistance up to -30 degrees. Requires annual spring pruning.

Golden Princess

Spiraea Japanese Golden Princess is a beautiful low shrub no more than 0.6 meters high, golden in color and round in shape with a diameter of about 1 m. The leaves are 6-7 cm long, oval, pointed in shape, golden in summer and turning red in autumn. It begins flowering in June-July, the flowers are pinkish-red in the form of corymbose inflorescences with a diameter of 3-4 cm. Frost resistance up to -30 degrees.

The plant is light-loving, undemanding to soil, but prefers moist, fertile, loose soil. In spring, the shrub must be pruned annually. In summer, to maintain decorativeness, faded inflorescences are removed. Golden princesses are an excellent honey plant. The plant can secrete phytoncides that disinfect the air.

Blooms in June-July. Golden princess spirea is used and planted as borders, filling empty spaces with it. It goes well with other flowering plants.

Little Princess

Spiraea japonica Little Princess is a decorative, graceful, beautifully flowering deciduous dwarf shrub, no more than 0.8 m high, with a compact dense spherical crown of rich green color with a diameter of up to 1.2 m. It grows best in sunny and semi-shaded areas with fertile and loose soil .

The flowers are light pink, small, in the form of corymbose inflorescences. Green leaves turn orange-red in autumn. Flowering is abundant in June-July and continues until September. Trimming dried inflorescences extends the time until the end of August. Winter hardiness is average, can withstand temperatures down to -25 degrees. Requires spring pruning. The annual growth does not exceed 10 cm.

Used both in single plantings and in groups, planted as borders. Life expectancy is 30 years.

Dart's Red

Spiraea japonica Darts Red is an undemanding, compact shrub up to 0.8 m high and up to 1 meter in diameter. A distinctive feature is the abundant flowering, which is very extended over time, which lasts from June to September, even possibly until October. The foliage of the plant is light green, reddish when blooming, the flowers range from bright pink to ruby red, collected in large, flat inflorescences. Blooms on the shoots of the current year.

Japanese spirea Darts Red is light-loving, undemanding to soils, and frost-resistant down to -28 degrees. The average annual growth is 10-20 cm. Prefers fertile, well-drained, moist soils. Immune to air pollution. The shoots are straight, highly branched, very dense.

Feels better in sunny areas, in such conditions the color acquires a rich shade. When planted in a shaded area, the color loses its saturation. Often grown as hedges, borders, in group or single plantings. Annual spring pruning is recommended. In summer, to maintain a decorative shape, faded inflorescences are removed.

Goldflame

Spiraea Japanese Goldflame is a beautiful shrub up to 0.6 - 0.8 meters high and up to 1 meter in diameter. The leaves are oblong, serrated along the edges, 5-8 cm long, change color as they grow, orange-red at the time of appearance, bright yellow, and then yellow-green at the time of flowering. After flowering, the fiery colors of the foliage return. Repeated changes of shades are a distinctive feature of Goldflame spirea.

The plant is slow growing, annual growth does not exceed 10 cm. The flowers are small, bright pink, collected in corymbs. The average flowering time is 50 days from late June to mid-August. Flowering is abundant.

Frost resistance is high. All shades of color appear when grown in open, sunny areas; when in the shade, the leaves turn green. It is undemanding to soil, but to obtain a brighter color, it is recommended to grow in acidic and moderately acidic soils.

In landscape design they are used to design flower beds, borders, and create hedges (the branches are so dense and dense that nothing can be seen through them). By trimming, you get bushes of original shapes. Fragrant flowers of the bush are used to create bouquets of a variety of compositions.

Crispa

Spiraea Japanese "Crispa" is an elegant shrub, the height of which does not exceed 70-80 cm. The leaves are jagged, wavy, dark green in color, reddish when blooming, turning red in the fall. Lush flowers in the form of flat umbrellas of pink-purple flowers. As flowering fades, the shade becomes lighter.

Light-loving. Flowering continues from July to September. For a longer period, it is recommended to remove inflorescences that have faded. It is undemanding to soil, but develops best on heavy clay soils. Does not tolerate waterlogging and flooding. Frost resistance is high.

The plant is resistant to diseases and pests, suffers from aphids and spider mites. Used in landscaping as a ground cover plant, and also as borders. Suitable for growing in containers.

Anthony Waterer

Spiraea japonica Anthony Waterer is a shrub up to 0.8 meters high, with approximately the same diameter. The leaves are pointed, matte, reddish when blooming, then gradually turn green, turning purple in the fall. The flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences up to 15 cm in diameter, bright pink or bright crimson.

Loves sunny places, tolerates shade. Flowering lasts from July to September. To extend the flowering period, the inflorescences are removed after flowering. It is winter-hardy, but in severe winters the ends of young shoots may freeze. Annual growth does not exceed 10 cm.

It is undemanding to soil, but prefers moist and fertile soils. Annual spring pruning is recommended. Grown as a hedge, as well as for group and single plantings.

Firelight

Spiraea Japanese Firelight is a small shrub up to 60 cm high and up to 0.8 meters in diameter. The leaves at the beginning of summer are fiery red in color; when the bush blooms, the leaves change color to greenish-yellow, and in the fall they become fiery red. In the shade, the color of the leaves becomes greener.

Blooms from late June to September with deep pink flowers. Photophilous. It is undemanding to soil, but grows best in fertile, well-drained and moist soil. Frost resistance is high.

Annual spring pruning is recommended, as well as pruning of faded inflorescences. The growth rate is slow. Grown for group and single plantings, on the edges and along park roads, and also as a low-growing hedge.

Macrophylla

Japanese Spiraea Macrophila is the most powerful and fast-growing variety, distinguished by large, bright decorative foliage, and is considered one of the best decorative ones. Shrub up to 1.5 m high and the same diameter. The stems are tough and straight. Young shoots are red. The leaves are up to 20 cm long, pointed, jagged along the edges, the color changes from purple-red when blooming, green in summer, to golden yellow in autumn.

Flowering continues from late June to mid-August. The flowers are collected in small pink inflorescences located on the shoots of the current year. Visually lost among the variegated foliage. Photophilous, undemanding to soils, frost-resistant. Does not tolerate heavy soils. The annual growth is rapid.

Annual spring pruning is recommended, as well as pruning of faded inflorescences. Resistant to diseases and pests, but sometimes suffers from aphids and spider mites. Used for single and group plantings, as well as for creating borders and flower beds, shrub mixborders.

Albiflora

Spiraea japonica Albiflora is a small, cushion-shaped shrub slightly more than half a meter high. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, up to 7 cm long, bright green in summer, yellow to orange in autumn. It blooms with white flowers collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences from July to August.

It is undemanding to soil, but prefers fertile, well-drained soil. Annual spring pruning is recommended. Frost resistance is high, up to -34 degrees. The growth rate is 5-10 cm per year.

They are grown for the purposes of urban and industrial landscaping, as well as for group and single plantings, as a low-growing hedge.

Bullata

Japanese Spiraea Bullata is a low, very compact, rounded, dense shrub with vertical shoots, up to 40 cm high. The leaves are dark green, small ovate, wrinkled. It blooms with flowers up to 8 cm in diameter, collected in corymbose inflorescences of a dark pink hue in June-July.

Photophilous, undemanding to soils, frost-resistant down to -28 degrees. Like all spirea, annual spring pruning is recommended, as well as pruning of faded inflorescences. The growth rate is low.

Grown for group and single plantings, on lawns, along roads, as a ground cover plant, and also as a low-growing hedge.

Country Red

Japanese Spiraea Country Red - Compact shrub up to 0.8 m high and the same diameter. The leaves are elliptical, pointed, serrated at the edges, dark green in summer and orange-red in autumn. Blooms abundantly in summer. It blooms with large, dark pink corymbose inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter, from July to August on the shoots of the current year.

Photophilous, frost resistance up to -30 degrees. Prefers fertile, well-drained, moist soils. Annual spring pruning is recommended, as well as pruning of faded inflorescences.

Grown for group and single plantings, effective in groups on the lawn, along park roads. Used as a low-growing hedge.

Goldmound

Spiraea Japanese Goldmound is a low ornamental deciduous shrub, up to 0.6 m high and with a crown diameter of up to 1.2 m. The leaves are oblong, changing color during the season from golden-yellow in summer to orange-reddish in autumn.

It blooms with pink flowers collected in corymbose inflorescences located on the shoots of the current year in June-July. The fruits, in the form of small leaflets, ripen at the end of September.

It grows slowly. Spirea needs good watering. Frost resistance is high. Can be grown in decorative containers. It is planted both for single and group plantings, as well as in landscape compositions and on lawns.

Golden Carpet

Japanese Spiraea Golden Carpet is a rare and beautiful variety. The bushes planted by a group resemble a soft golden carpet, hence the name “golden carpet” - golden carpet. The height of the plant is 30-40 cm, the same diameter, the leaves are small golden yellow, up to 2 cm long, the foliage turns green in the shade.

It blooms with pink corymbose inflorescences that appear from June to September. But the flowering duration is only 3-4 days. There are few flowers. The shoots are creeping, densely spaced.

Photophilous, undemanding to soils. Frost resistance is high. Suitable for landscaping rock gardens, small gardens and flower beds, as well as decorating borders. When planted in a group, it forms a “golden carpet”. Used as ground cover.

The most interesting varieties of spirea

I suggest watching an interesting video about the most interesting varieties of spirea.

Application in landscape design

Japanese spirea usually:

knocking out lilac bushes;
decorate cottages and gardens;
complemented by rockeries and mixborders;
zone areas;
decorate hedges and borders;
highlight the beauty of other cultures.

Japanese spirea - photo in the border
The following varieties are suitable for forming borders:

Bullata;
Crispa;
Golden Princess;
Shirobana;
Little Princess.

Spiraea turned out to be excellent tapeworms:

Wangutta;
Douglas;
Arguta;
plum-leaved;
Gray;
Nipponian.

Japanese spirea - photo in a flowerbed
To create hedges, the following plant varieties are used:

Grefsheim;
Middle Meadowsweet;
Wanguttu;
Boumalda;
Densiflora;
Frobelli;
Argut.

Looks great in flower beds:

Gold Mound;
Shirobana;
Golden Princess;
Candlelight.

Japanese spirea, photos and descriptions follow, is compact and has dense flowering. For its full development, optimal conditions are needed. Otherwise, the plant practically stops developing and blooming.

General information

Spiraea (from the ancient Greek “spiral”) are ornamental deciduous shrubs from the Rosaceae family. In nature, they prefer to settle in forest and forest-steppe zones of Korea, Japan and China. Since the 16th century, many representatives of this species have been used in ornamental gardening. They are valued for their endurance, drought and winter hardiness, and the variety of shapes and colors of inflorescences. The most popular in landscape design is Japanese spirea.

The leaves of Japanese spirea are oval, slightly serrated, green or change color throughout the season; arranged sequentially. Stems are highly branched, up to 2 m in height; the bush has a spherical shape. Inflorescences are racemose, with a rosette of leaves at the base; are formed at the ends of the shoots. The flowers are bisexual, often pink-red, and can be white or purple. The seeds are small, winged. The peak of Japanese spirea flowering occurs in summer.

Features of plant propagation

Spiraea is increased in quantity using vegetative and generative methods. But for plant hybrids, cuttings and breeding are more suitable. Only with such methods the results of reproduction are immediate and successful.

By layering

To obtain an autumn single layer with good roots, in March the lower shoots are pressed to the ground in which a trench has been dug. In this position, the shoot is fixed, leaving only its top above the ground. In the fall, the resulting layerings are transplanted to another place. To create several seedlings, simply pinch the top of the shoot.

Cuttings

Spiraea cuttings take root by 70% without the use of stimulants. They are usually rooted in September-October, selecting the strongest shoots from the parent plant. Before planting, the prepared cuttings are left in water for 3 hours, and then their cuts are pollinated with a root-stimulating agent.

Japanese spirea - cuttings

Next, the shoots are planted 2 cm deep in the substrate and covered with glass or plastic, after which they are placed in the shade. Rooting cuttings are constantly watered and sprayed. They are dug up in late autumn. Next, the cuttings with shoots are covered with leaves and an inverted wooden box is placed on it.

Seeds

Seed propagation of Japanese shrubs is considered the longest method. But with its help, planting material is sown without stratification. Containers or boxes are used for planting. The sown seeds are not covered and, after covering with glass or film, are placed in the shade, in the east or west of the garden.

After seedlings emerge, the containers are opened. And when the seedlings grow to 2 cm, they are picked by pinching. The seedlings are watered and left in the shade until autumn. With the onset of this period, they are moved to a test bed, and a year later the seedlings are planted permanently.

Japanese spirea, its photo and description are provided in this text, loves fertile and moist soil. Some of its varieties bloom in spring, while others bloom in summer. The plant can remain in the same place for up to 15 years.

Dividing the bush

The method of bush division of spirea for propagation is used in August-September. The necessary part of the plant, which is already 3-4 years old, is cut off with a shovel. At the same time, strong roots and stems are removed.

Then the bush, dug out and divided into 2-3 parts, is planted in prepared recesses with crushed coal at the bottom. Next, the seedlings are covered with soil and compacted. After this they can be watered.

Spiraea: planting and care

In order to plant and properly care for a plant, you need to know the requirements that the plant makes for its care. The root system of the plant is fibrous, which means it takes nutrition and moisture from the upper layers of the soil. This means that more frequent watering and fertilizing are necessary, since the top layer of soil cannot provide this in a large volume.

The plant is not acidophilic, which means it does not have any special requirements for soil acidity, but prefers slightly alkalized ones, with a slightly increased pH level of 7-7.5.

Spiraea also requires pruning, but it differs for each species.

For example, spring-flowering ones need to be pruned immediately after flowering, because they lay inflorescences for next spring on young shoots this year, and if you prune them in the fall, you will not see color in the spring. Summer-flowering spirea can be pruned throughout the summer, making the bush tidier and stimulating the formation of new inflorescences.

The plant's winter hardiness is usually high, so no special measures are required. But as always, it is advisable to mulch with a layer of foliage and feed with potassium fertilizers for the winter. Here is a brief summary of the basic requirements of spirea for its care. Below I will write in more detail what to do and how.

How to plant and care for spirea

One way to grow Japanese spirea is by planting seeds. It is not carried out often, this is due to the duration of the process; spirea planted through seeds will begin to bloom only in the third or fourth year. Growing from seeds collected independently does not always lead to good results. You may have a hybrid plant growing, the seeds of which have a low germination rate, about 5%, and in hybrids the parental characteristics are not transmitted through the seeds. By planting from seeds you collected yourself, you can get a completely different plant; if you’re lucky, it will be beautiful. Or nothing will come up at all.

It is much easier to plant a cutting or a cutting from a bush, and the bush will benefit, and the new plant will bloom much faster. Therefore, as a rule, spirea is propagated by cuttings, layering or dividing the bush. And only species of spirea are planted with seeds. It’s easy to determine whether your bush is capable of producing seed offspring; do a test sowing. To do this, throw a pinch of seeds in the fall into a pot of soil dug in the garden bed. A pot is necessary so as not to lose seedlings in the spring. If friendly shoots appear, you can be congratulated.

Let's look at sowing seeds in more detail. Spiraea seeds are planted without stratification. You can sow in both spring and autumn. It is probably even more convenient to sow in the fall after collecting the seeds, so as not to forget to do it in the spring, and so that the seedlings make full use of the snow moisture in the spring. Then they will suffer less from irregular watering.

Seeds are used both purchased and collected independently. When collecting on your own, wait until the seed boxes turn brown, but have not yet opened; in Japanese spirea this happens in the fall. Cut them and put them to ripen for 10-14 days. After two weeks, collect the spilled seeds, this will be your seed.

There are many options for planting seeds. From planting in boxes in the fall to planting directly in the ground in both fall and spring. All this says that spirea is completely unpretentious both in planting and growing. If you are afraid of losing seeds when planting directly into the ground and you feel safer growing spirea through seedlings, then the method described below is for you.

The most suitable month for planting is March. Prepare the soil for planting: peat + vermiculite or any loose fertile substrate also with vermiculite. Vermiculite can be added up to 30% of the amount of soil or peat. Be sure to place a layer of drainage material at the bottom of the container and cover it with prepared substrate on top. Smooth out and be sure to moisten well.

Sow seeds over the surface. Mulch the top with a thin layer of peat. Cover the container with film and place in a warm room. After about 10 days, shoots should appear. Start ventilating the container daily by slightly opening the film; after a week, the film can be removed completely.

Do not allow the soil to dry out or become excessively waterlogged.

After 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in separate cups or in a larger container. 2-3 months after germination, spirea is planted in open ground.

The most rational way to plant seeds is directly in open ground. It is held at the end of September-beginning of October. Choose an area where you will grow spirea, moisten it well with the addition of liquid vermicompost, it will provide nutrition to young shoots in the spring. Sow spirea seeds over the surface and sprinkle them with a little soil to prevent them from being blown away by the wind. At this point the landing can be considered complete.

If you have seeds from yellow-leaved and green-leaved plants, plant them separately. The green brothers will outstrip and strangle the weaker yellow ones.

I would like to add that spirea tolerates picking and transplanting well at any time when it is convenient for you. The main thing is that the sprout is visible on the site.

When planting seedlings grown at home in open ground for permanent residence, it is necessary to prepare holes. The distance between the holes is made depending on the diameter of the crown of your future bush. If you have fertile, loose soil, make a hole 30% larger than the volume of the root part with a lump of earth. If the soil is heavy clay, the hole is made several times larger, a drainage layer (pebbles, crushed brick, expanded clay) with a layer of at least 20 cm is placed on the bottom, turf leaf soil, humus, sand and peat are added in a ratio of 3:1:1: 1.

The seedling is lowered, the root collar should be on the surface, covered with earth and pressed down a little. Definitely needs to be watered.

Young plantings must be loosened when the soil is compacted from watering and when weeding. Mulch with peat immediately after planting in a layer of up to 7 cm. When loosening, be careful, the root system of spirea is shallow, do not damage the roots.

In the first year of life, the height of the seedling reaches only 5-10 cm. More active development begins in the second year. The bush will begin to branch and grow the root system. Flowering may occur in 3-4 years.

Caring for spirea is easy. In early spring, they feed with Kemira station wagon at the rate of 100-120g/sq.m. In mid-June, the plants need to be fed again. Add 0.5 kg of dry vermicompost under each bush. Before winter, you can feed with potassium humate according to the instructions for garden flowers. Periodically loosen weeds and after watering. Good results are obtained by mulching the tree trunk circles.

How to propagate a bush

Perennial spirea successfully reproduces both by seed and vegetative methods. There are several ways to vegetatively propagate a bush:

cuttings
layering
dividing the bush

Let's look at them in more detail:

Propagation of Japanese spirea by cuttings:

You can start propagation from spring to autumn, but cuttings taken in mid-summer take root best. To do this, you need to cut off the young shoots of the current year. They differ from last year's in color - this year's are green, last year's are brown.

Cut the shoot into cuttings approximately 15 cm long. Do not take the apical part of the shoot, it contains a lot of moisture and the cutting will simply rot.
Free the lower half of the cutting from the leaves, cut the end at an angle of 45 degrees and dip in the growth stimulator Kornevin (For better survival. Operation is not necessary). In the upper half, cut the leaves in half - this will reduce the evaporation of moisture from the cutting, which it may not have enough of; the root system is not yet developed.
Deepen the cuttings into a well-moistened soil substrate to a depth of 2-3 cm. For the substrate, use peat and river sand in a 1:1 ratio.

Cover the container with the planted cuttings with a bag or any available item and place it in a shaded place. Remove the bag periodically to ventilate and moisten the soil.

The container must have a drainage hole to allow excess liquid to escape.

When the cuttings take root and produce new leaves, they can be transplanted into separate containers. They are planted in open ground next spring.

Reproduction of Japanese spirea by layering:

Another very simple method of propagation is by layering. To propagate by layering, the lower branches are bent to the ground in the spring, placed in a pre-prepared hole, pinched and covered with earth.

For the winter, cover the shoot with dry leaves. By spring, the shoot takes root and can be planted in a permanent place.

Reproduction of Japanese spirea by dividing the bush:

Very often, to propagate a bush, division is used. As a rule, they divide a young bush that is 3-4 years old. It is inconvenient to divide an older one; a large earthen lump forms on the dense roots, which is difficult to wash. If you divide the roots without washing them, you can leave half the bush without roots, they are very twisted and dividing blindly is simply dangerous. The best time for dividing is the end of August - beginning of September.

Dig up the bush, covering approximately 50-70% of the crown projection. Don't worry if you have to cut a few roots that go out to the side.

Wash the roots by first placing the dug up bush in a bucket of water, this will make it easier to wash them.

Using pruning shears, cut the bush into several sections. Each division must have at least three strong shoots.

Carefully cut the roots to the same length and sprinkle with crushed coal or ash.

Dig holes using the technology described above. Lower the cuttings into the holes, straighten the roots and cover with soil. Be sure to water well.

Rules of care

The care requirements for spirea are minimal and simple. But to achieve maximum and successful results, several nuances should be taken into account.

Varieties of the Japanese plant, thanks to its characteristics, take root well:

in outskirts of Moscow;
in Siberia;
in the Urals.

Rules and terms of landing

Shrubs are planted both in spring and autumn. It will require holes with a depth and diameter of 40-50 cm.

Drainage from:

crushed bricks;
crushed stone;
fine gravel.

The depressions are then filled with fertile soil with the same amount:

leaf soil;
sand;
humus or compost.

When planting spirea, the planting hole should be fertilized.
Then the following is added to the planting holes:

15 g potassium sulfate;
1 tbsp. dolomite flour (only if the soil is acidic);
20 g double superphosphate;
3 liters of wood ash.

Spiraea bushes are planted at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other. The roots of the seedling removed from the container are well watered and untangled. Then the plant is moved into the hole and covered with soil. After thorough compaction, the spirea is again well moistened.

Site selection and soil preparation

For planting, choose sunny areas so that they subsequently bloom profusely. Spirea does not have any exceptional soil requirements. She is able to take root in any soil.

Only some plant hybrids love fertile and moist soil. The planting soil, before moving the shrubs into it, is carefully weeded and mixed with treated compost.