Popular varieties of unpretentious shrub for the garden - spirea
Spirea is one of the most favorite plants for the garden. During flowering, dense bushes are completely covered with white or pink inflorescences, creating a unique look. In addition, the shrubs are also absolutely unpretentious: the spirea grows well on any soil and does not require shelter for the winter.
All types of spirea, depending on the flowering time, are divided into two groups:
- plants blooming in spring;
- bushes blooming in summer.
Spring-flowering species of spirea
Among the shrubs, which bloom in spring, most often on the sites you can find the following varieties:
- Oak spirea... A tall shrub up to 2.5 m in height, covered with many flowers that practically hide the foliage.
- Sharp-toothed spirea... The bush no more than 2 m in height has a wide spreading crown of arcuate shoots, on which there are very beautiful, delicate, narrow dark green leaves (by autumn they turn yellow).
- Ash spirea... The tall, strongly branching shrub (up to 2 m) got its name due to the gray-green leaves, pubescent on the lower side. Flowering lasts 1.5 months.
- Spirea Thunberg... A medium-sized bush (maximum 1.5 m) is covered with dense and long leaves, which change color three times during the season: young leaves are yellowish at first, by summer they are saturated with a bright green color, and in autumn they acquire an orange color. Small inflorescences in the form of umbrellas bloom even before the mass appearance of foliage.
- Spirea Wangutta. A wide bush up to 2 m in height blooms for 2-3 weeks, sometimes a second wave is possible in July.
- Spirea Wangutta Pink Ice... Differs in creamy inflorescences on the tops and variegated color of young leaves.
- Spirea... Hanging shoots form a tall shrub and grow very quickly. Elongated green leaves acquire a yellow-brown color by autumn. Blooms from May to mid-June with white umbrellas.
Spring-flowering species of spirea bloom in May with white inflorescences.
Shrubs with summer flowering
Spiraea, blooming in summer, is no less beautiful. From this group, it is worth noting the following varieties:
- Japanese spirea... A medium-sized bush (no more than 1.5 m in height) in the spring is covered with reddish leaves, which eventually acquire a bluish-green color, and by the fall a yellow and red tint is added. Flowering lasts all summer.
- Spirea Macrophylla... A small (on average about 1.3 m in height) bush covered with large leaves with a wrinkled plate and a jagged edge. Young foliage is red and old leaves are green, which gives spirea (photo) a unique view in the autumn.
- Spirea Albiflora... A dwarf variety of a plant with a bush height of 80 cm, refers to long-livers, but develops slowly. Elongated green leaves turn yellow by autumn.
Summer varieties bloom in July on young shoots, and almost all species have pink inflorescences.