Common Name: Japanese spirea
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Spread: 3 to 4 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Description: Pink
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Leaves: Colorful, Good Fall Color
Wildlife: Attracts Butterflies
Tolerates: Clay Soil, Air Pollution, Deer
Uses: Erosion Control, Hedge
Invasive: Where is this species invasive in the US?
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils. Remove faded flower clusters as practicable (light shearing is an option) to encourage additional bloom. Flowers on new wood, so prune in late winter to early spring if needed.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Japanese spirea is a dense, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub that typically grows 4-6’ tall with a slightly larger spread. Leaves (to 3” long) are oval and sharpely toothed. Tiny pink flowers in flat-topped clusters (corymbs) cover the foliage in late spring to mid-summer with sparse and intermittent repeat bloom often occurring throughout the remainder of the growing season. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. ‘Gold Mound’ is, as the cultivar name suggests, noted for its attractive golden foliage. It is cross between S. japonica ‘Alpina’ and S. japonica ‘Goldflame’ (parents originally described as S. japonica var. alpina and S. x bumalda‘Goldflame’). Leaves emerge golden in spring, but gradually fade to a gold-green as the summer progresses. Fall color may include interesting yellows, oranges and reds. This is a compact mounded cultivar that grows to 42” tall and to 48” wide. Small pink flowers in flattened corymbs (to 3” across) appear in late spring.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to many of the diseases and insects that attact other rose family members, including leaf spot, fire blight, powdery mildew, root rot, aphids, leaf roller and scale.
Garden Uses
Mass or group in shrub borders. Low hedge for paths and walkways. Incorporates well into foundation plantings.