When considering shrubs for the yard, keep the many flavors of Spiraea in mind. In the Pacific Northwest, these deciduous gems are easy to grow, super hardy and low maintenance in almost any landscape. Now that spring has officially sprung, these shrubs are glowing with bright shades of new growth, to be followed soon by showy flowers. Try to remember that not everything in the yard has to be evergreen, plants like Spiraeas combine nicely with the plethora of evergreens that we enjoy in our gardens. Adding some spring foliage color, bloom and fall color can be just what the landscape doctor ordered.
Spiraeas enjoy full sun and partly shaded locations; a spot with at least half a day sun. I would avoid deep shade, as they will lack flowers and foliage color when not in adequate sun. They can also take some wet (including heavier soils), thriving in areas where many other plants tend to struggle. Keep in mind that these are by no means drought tolerant, as they do like some water to remain vibrant over the warmer summer. A nice application of mulch will help with this, both in conserving water and keeping weeds down. We have our native Spiraea douglasii (Douglas Spiraea) growing nicely in our local ditches, wetlands, and marshes with no attention from anyone but Mother Nature herself. As a bonus, many of us are looking for plants that critters (deer and rabbits) avoid… Spiraeas are one perfectly indestructible option for this purpose.
These shrubs are super simple to prune as most all bloom on new wood, or the current season’s growth, allowing you to easily shear back the twigs to any size or shape in late winter to early spring. I enjoy a few in my own landscape and if you came by my place in the summer you would notice a 3-foot by 4-foot attractive shrub full of foliage and flower, but this time of year a little mound of twigs maybe 12-inches tall starting anew is all that you would find. Don’t spend hours doing this with the hand pruners! Their buds are so close together that shearing them back with hedge clippers saves time and produces a full and bushy specimen for the season. One extra tip I have learned over the years is to shear them back a second time in early summer, typically in June. Cut back to below the spent spring flowers and new-growth will happen a second time; new colorful foliage emerges followed by a second bloom in later summer to early fall. Keep in mind that the flowers will always attract pollinators, like bees and butterflies, adding benefit to the local ecosystem.
Many of the Spiraeas that catch my gardening eye are modern hybrids that originate from two main species, S. japonica or nipponica (Japanese Spiraea) and S. betulifolia (Birch Leaf Spiraea). Breeders have taken this traditional garden staple to new levels with brighter foliage, crisper flower color, dwarf habits, mildew resistance, and other desirable garden traits. All of this means better choices for us and far less worry and maintenance in our landscapes. There are still some old-fashioned favs for sure, but also some lovely new flavors worthy of consideration. Here are few I would suggest investigating at local garden centers and planting in the garden this spring…
‘Magic Carpet’: This is an older cultivar of S. japonica that began the modern revolution of Spiraeas, in my opinion. Typically growing to just 2-feet tall and 3-feet wide, it fits nicely in sunny garden borders. Foliage is highlighted with yellows, oranges and reds, and blooms are a nice bright pink. A mass planting of these is quite attractive in the landscape, or you can even try it as a lower-clipped informal hedge.
‘Snowmound’: This is an older variety of S. nipponica that combines bright green foliage with pure white flowers. Many think this resembles what we called ‘Bridal Wreath’ Spiraea (see below), and cut branches make lovely additions to indoor arrangements. These will grow to about 5-feet tall and wide, displaying heavy bloom on arching branches each spring. A nice taller specimen with great structure.
‘Renaissance’: This is a classic cultivar of true ‘Bridal Wreath’ Spiraea (Spiraea x vanhouttei) with lovely white flowers and more of a bluish-green foliage. These are super easy and very disease resistant in local gardens, growing into graceful arching specimens about 5-feet tall and wide. This is one variety that is best to prune after bloom, so allow it to finish and then prune to control size.
‘Glow Girl’: This is one of my personal favs, a cultivar of S. betulafolia from Proven Winners, with great foliage and flower. In spring bright limey-gold foliage pops in the garden and is then followed by white flowers with a touch of pink in spring. The foliage remains bright yellow all summer and does not burn in the sun, finally changing to especially brilliant shades in autumn. Come on now, it is just fun to say “you go glow girl”!
‘Butterscotch Baby’: This fabulous variety (available through Monrovia) is exactly what it is called, a lovely butterscotch/caramel foliage color in spring and fall, with nice pink flowers in late spring. A perfect compact choice for small areas, growing to only 18-inches tall and 2 feet wide. Perhaps I am partial to these as there is not much better to me than some butterscotch on vanilla ice cream!
‘Double Play Doozie’: There a number of great options in the Double Play Series from Proven Winners both for foliage and flower. ‘Double Play Doozie’ is the most recent and perhaps the best of all, sporting blazing deep red foliage in spring, then flowers with reddish-purple color throughout the season without any pruning. This is a seedless variety to boot and grows tidily to about 3-feet tall and wide each season. Other Double Play flavors like ‘Red’, ‘Candy Corn’, ‘Artisan’, ‘Big Bang’ and ‘Gold’ are all great options as well, offering us even more distinct foliage color options and flowers.
Sometimes in the world of plants, simple and durable options like Spiraeas offer gardeners useful solutions. These wonderful shrubs can be used in many areas of any garden, displaying both showy foliage and flowers. Be sure to investigate the many worthy cultivars on your next garden center excursion and speak with any Certified Professional Horticulturist about the best ones for your landscape. They are sure to catch your eye this spring and will certainly add years of easy enjoyment in your landscape.
