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.