Spirea - planting and care in the open ground

Various types of ornamental shrubs are widely used in landscape design. They can play the role of hedges or be an accent in a floral arrangement. Spirea, planting and care in the open ground for which is very simple, suitable for one purpose, and for another. It is quite decorative and also unpretentious, and abundant flowering is a great addition to its advantages. Even a beginner can grow it.

Before you begin planting this shrub, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of growing and further care, find out what kind of plant is spirea.

How to Grow Spirea: Planting and Care

To grow a healthy plant that will delight not only with lush greenery, but also with abundant flowering, it is necessary to provide for all stages: from the purchase of planting material to the care of already planted shrubs.

Spirea is a spectacular shrub.

Seedlings

The first step is to purchase planting material. Depending on the purpose for which the plant will be grown, as a hedge or for a single planting, it is important to determine the variety. There are many of them, they have different requirements and external characteristics. Among this variety there is sure to be one that is most suitable for a particular case.

After the variety is selected and the required number of seedlings is determined, you can proceed directly to the acquisition of planting material. There are two important criteria to consider.

• The first thing you should pay attention to is the root system. It must be well developed and have at least three strong rod roots. It should also not be damaged and areas with signs of the disease.
• Depending on the planting period, the state of the upper part of the plant is estimated. If the purchase of a seedling occurred in the spring, then the buds on its shoots should be still closed and not swollen. In the case of autumn planting, leaves on the shoots should already be absent.

Spirea seedling

Time and landing technology

For planting, you can choose both the autumn period and summer. The main thing is to take into account the climate. The time of autumn planting should be chosen so that before the onset of frost the plant has time to grow stronger, and in the spring you need to wait until the threat of frost passes.

Planting a seedling

Technology

The process of planting seedlings in the soil can be divided into several successive stages.

1. Digging a hole. Its diameter should exceed the size of the root system of the seedling by 20-30%.
2. Filling the landing pit with 2/3 prepared soil. The earth should be sprinkled with a knoll.
3. Seedling placement. The roots of the plant need to be straightened, removed damaged and spread on the surface of the earthen mound.
4. Filling the pit with the rest of the soil. It should be ensured that the root neck of the seedling is flush with the surface of the earth.
5. Watering. It is also desirable to mulch the soil around the plant to reduce moisture loss.

If a seedling is planted with a lump of earth, watering is done directly into the planting pit, and then it is filled with soil.

Soil preparation and site selection

Spirea is unpretentious not only in care, but also not demanding on the soil. It is able to grow almost everywhere, but for a healthy type of plant you need to observe some conditions. It is necessary to consider what soil spirea loves and where it is better to place it in the garden.

This perennial shrub negatively tolerates excess moisture, respectively, and the soil prefers light and drained. To improve the composition of clay soil, it is better to add sand and peat to it. If the soil is sandy and too light, it does not hurt to make some clay.

Also, when preparing the soil for planting, compost or rotted manure should be added to it.

Spirea is a flowering shrub. Due to its undemanding nature, it can grow in the shade, but plentiful flowering in this case should not be expected. To make this shrub delight not only with lush greenery, but also with flowers, it is better to choose a sunny place for planting it.

Growing in spring and autumn

Flowering spirea can occur either in the summer or spring. This factor should be guided when choosing a time for landing. The spring season is suitable exclusively for spring-flowering varieties. In autumn, you can plant all species, regardless of their flowering period.

When planting in the fall, you need to take care of the construction of a shelter for young plants for the winter. Depending on the variety, shelter for the winter is set either every year, or only for the first winter after planting.

Features of care in different regions

Due to its unpretentiousness and rather high frost resistance, spirea is suitable for growing even in Siberia and the Urals. Of course, not all varieties of this plant are suitable for these regions. Most suitable:

• birch leaf;
• average;
• oak-leaved;
• Vanguta;
• gray
• Billard;
• loosestrife.

Grade White Bride

Given the difficult climatic conditions of these regions, or rather low temperatures in the winter, shelter for winter spirea is necessary annually. Also, the landing dates will be slightly different. In the spring, it is better to start this process later, and in the fall, on the contrary, early, before the cold comes. Spirea in the Urals, the cultivation of which is very difficult here, is widespread and popular.

There are no special requirements for growing this shrub in the suburbs. When leaving, you should focus on the characteristics of the variety, and more specifically on its winter hardiness. For example, White Bride spirea, the planting and care of which is simple, can withstand frosts down to −40 ° С.

Breeding

For spirea, as well as for many other types of shrubs, there are several breeding options. You can get a new plant by dividing the bush, or you can layering. But such an opportunity does not always appear, especially if the owner of the shrub does not want to injure the plant in order to share. In this case, cuttings as a method of reproduction are perfect.

Cuttings

It is worth taking only a few actions.

1. Preparing the cuttings. For this purpose, you need to choose an annual shoot and cut it into pieces so that each has 4-5 leaves. The lower ones should be removed, the rest trimmed.
2. Exposure to the solution. Next, you need to place the cuttings in a solution of a growth stimulator and withstand them for the necessary time.
3. Landing in the ground. Rooted cuttings can be in a separate container or in the open ground. The soil must be prepared in both cases.
4. Shelter installation. After planting, cuttings should be covered with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle.

Next, you must always make sure that the soil at the place of planting cuttings remained moist. Also, periodic spraying will be useful to them.

For the winter they can be left in the ground, but be sure to cover well. Wintered and matured cuttings by spring can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Seeds

Another way to get a new spirea plant is by seed propagation.

This breeding process also consists of several stages.

1. Seed collection. For spring-flowering species, this is the beginning of June, and for summer-flowering species - the end of this month or later.
2. Soil preparation. In a special container, pour a mixture of peat with vermiculite in a ratio of 4: 1.
3. Sowing. It is produced on the surface, without burying the seeds in the ground.
4. Moisturizing. The surface of the soil should be carefully moistened with a spray bottle, being careful not to rinse off the seeds.
5. Shelter. The container should be covered with a film or glass.

Seeds

You can place a container with seeds both indoors and outdoors. The main thing is that this is a place in partial shade, and not in the sun.

As the shoots appear, the film should be removed. When the sprouts reach a height of 2 cm, the seedlings need to be planted. In autumn, they can already be transplanted into the ground, and in the spring to a permanent place.

Outdoor Care

For full development and annual flowering, you need to know how to care for spirea and how to provide it with proper care. It consists of several important procedures.

Watering

This rather drought tolerant shrub needs a rare but plentiful watering. It will be enough for him 10-15 liters of water 2-3 times a month. If precipitation occurs regularly, this rate can be reduced. In case of lack of moisture, the shoots and leaves may dry.

Also, some varieties of shrubs, for example, Japanese spirea, require more frequent watering. By the way, her flowers have a pleasant pink tint.

Fertilizers and fertilizing

Spirea is responsive to the application of fertilizers, both organic and mineral. In spring, it is better to use complex mineral fertilizer. This will accelerate the development and growth of the plant. Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied only during this period. In the summer, after flowering, as well as after pruning, organic fertilizers are needed.

To make mineral fertilizing, it is better to choose a ready-made complex fertilizer for ornamental shrubs. It can be purchased at a specialty store. For example, the Leningrad Garden Center offers a large selection of such products.

As organic fertilizer, you can use manure or compost. But this should be done with caution. Why is that? When using manure, the dosage should be strictly observed to avoid burns to the root system.

Spring Spirea Care, Pruning and Feeding

There are certain procedures that should be carried out in the spring. For spirea, this is sanitary pruning.

Pruning

Depending on the period during which the flowering phase of the shrub falls, a corresponding haircut is carried out. Spring-flowering species require minimal pruning. Only the ends of shoots that have suffered from winter cold are subject to removal. You should also remove all dried branches.

Shoots of late flowering species should be trimmed significantly, leaving only 1-2 buds on them. Excessive shoots should also be removed to avoid excessive thickening of the bush. Sick and dry shoots should also be removed.

Spirea hedge

This shrub is great for use as a hedge. This green wall will not be particularly demanding. Such a quality as rapid growth will allow you to get a dense green hedge in a short time. For example, gray spirea, trimming and forming which is quite simple, is ideal for such purposes. During flowering, she looks like a real princess in white.

Live white hedge

Many varieties are suitable for use as hedges, and some of them do not even require pruning. But to get the right shape, you should know how to cut a spirea.

Care for such a hedge is identical to that used for this shrub in a single planting. But there are points that should be taken into account in this case.

• It is better to determine the amount of necessary planting material immediately and purchase seedlings in one store. This will eliminate the likelihood of planting different varieties.
• When planting, you should consider the characteristics of the variety of shrubs. Depending on the size of an adult plant of this species, the distance between seedlings in a row should be determined.

Spirea care after flowering

Regardless of the period during which the spirea blooms, it is better to remove faded brushes. For early flowering varieties, this procedure is mandatory. This should be done immediately after flowering.

For varieties that bloom in the summer, the removal of dried flowers is also desirable, but this can be done with autumn pruning.

Early flowering varieties are sparingly pruned in spring and lightly forming during the season. Late flowering should be pruned more carefully, the shoots should be significantly shortened in early spring.

Dry and damaged shoots must be removed during spring and autumn pruning. This applies to all species of this shrub.

Winter preparations

Before the plant enters a dormant period in the winter, it should be sanitized. All dry shoots must be removed. The shoots are shortened to a length that is applicable to this particular species. Autumn pruning should be carried out in such a way that the plant has time to move away from it before the onset of cold weather.

What to feed spirea in this period? After this procedure, you can feed the shrub with a complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.

Some species of spirea require shelter for the winter, and certain varieties are able to winter in the snow. It is on the requirements of the variety that should be guided when deciding on the installation of shelter.

Diseases and Pests

Spirea is very resistant to diseases and pests. But still, sometimes it can be plunged into various types of fungi and the attack of some pests. For example, such as:

• aphid;
• spider mite;
• leaflet;
• whitefly.

In such cases, the plant can be significantly damaged. To avoid this, regularly treat the shrub with special preparations for prophylactic purposes.

Spirea is an ornamental shrub that is unpretentious and frost-resistant. There are many varieties of this shrub that differ not only in appearance, but also in the methods of caring for them.

Spirea can be propagated by dividing the bush, layering, cuttings and seeds. The cuttings are easy to carry out, and the survival rate of the resulting seedlings is quite high.To control pests and diseases, regular preventive treatment with chemicals is necessary. Only with the provision of suitable conditions will the spirea delight with lush foliage and plentiful flowering all year round.