In modern landscape design, plants are widely used. Gardeners use many types of spirea plants to decorate. Their diversity allows you to choose the right solution for the interior or external installation.
Description of the plant: what it looks like, what family
Spiraea (Spirea) - a genus of the pink family, has 90 species. From the ancient Greek language means "bend, spiral." A specific feature of the bushes is the abundant growth of branches bent to the ground with leaves arranged in a spiral pattern.
Spirea Snowmound
A tree shrub that grows in forest steppes, semi-deserts, and highlands of the Northern Hemisphere. Deciduous bushes are predominantly up to two meters in height, and are found higher. They differ in the color of the leaves, the external shape of the bush, the timing of flowering. Many fall change the green color of leaves to a wide palette of colors of yellow and red spectra.
Forms:
- weeping;
- pyramidal;
- erect;
- hemispherical;
- cascade-like;
- creeping.
Flowering time:
- spring blooming;
- summer blooming.
Abundantly showered with small flowers collected in various inflorescences with a wide range of colors from white to raspberry.
Attention! Inflorescences can be variously located on the branches: along the shoot, at their ends, in the upper part of the branches. In spring, they bloom profusely, but for a short period, and summer representatives retain bloom for a long period.
Varieties of nippon spiraea (spiraea nipponica)
Species of spirea have been used by European gardeners since the end of the 19th century. The most popular early flowering is Nippon spirea (spiraea nipponica). Bred on the Japanese island of Shikoku. "Nippon" from Japanese translates as Land of the Rising Sun.
The most popular varieties:
- Spirea snowmound is a spring-flowering shrub up to two meters high with a big-leafed crown formed by a large number of vertically growing shoots, arched branches. The leaves are oval, up to 4 centimeters long in dark emerald color. Inflorescences are lush, snow-white, bloom in the first decade of June. Snowmound spirea blooms for 20 days. It is frost-resistant, withstands negative temperatures up to 30ºС;
- Spirea June Bride - a bush of spherical shape, branches in the form of an arch, in height and width up to one and a half meters. Blooms in the first half of May with snow-white numerous inflorescences. The foliage is small, dark olive in color, persists until late autumn. It is winter resistant, maintains a negative temperature of 25ºС.
Spirea June Bride
- spirea Halvard Silver - a low shrub with dense foliage, up to one height and a width of one and a half meters. The foliage is oval, dark green in color, at the end of summer changes color to copper-red. The flowers are snow-white, blooms in June, flowering occurs for more than a month. It has a rich aroma. It grows on moist soil, shaded, sunny places;
- Spirea Gelves Rainbow - photophilous, slowly developing shrub. Annual growth is 10 - 15 centimeters. In height and width, an adult plant is not more than 50 centimeters. Shoots of dark brown color with small, oval green foliage in orange spots with snow-white inflorescences. It is frost-resistant, however, the probability of freezing of uncovered young shoots in winter is possible;
- Spirea White Carpet - a sprawling bush up to 80 centimeters high. The creeping form of white carpet provided the bush with the highest degree of frost resistance compared to other varieties.
Planting and caring for Nippon spirea
Every amateur gardener can grow Nippon spirea. Caring for Nippon Spirea Snowound and other varieties require certain rules to be followed.
Preparation of planting material and site
It is advisable to buy a spirea seedlings of Nippon snowmound or another variety with an earthen lump on the rhizome or in the container.
Requirements:
- the roots are elastic, moist;
- without traces of decay, injuries.
Attention! You should carefully examine the rhizome. Roots sprouted into the drainage holes indicate that the plant is old, it will not take root well.
FROMpiraeus FROMnoound: landing and care
Planted on cloudy days in sunny, shaded places, in autumn or spring. Wells for seedlings are located at a distance of about half a meter between themselves. Choose moist soil with good drainage.
Before planting, the soil is dug up, reporting sand and peat in similar proportions. The hole is dug a little wider than the rhizome. A layer of drainage and earth is laid at the base. Dry roots of a seedling are cut. The rhizome is soaked for 2 hours in water, then placed in a hole. Sprinkling with earth each layer, compacted, watered, cover. Planting blooms for 3 years of planting.
Watering and feeding
A plant with a fibrous rhizome, so watering should be carried out systematically. During drought up to 3 times per month. Water consumption - 15 liters per bush. Then the earth loosens, takes cover.
Attention! In the first year of planting, watering should be plentiful, this will ensure the growth of powerful root processes.
Top dressing is carried out three times per season:
- in the spring - with nitrogen mixtures;
- in summer - with organic additives;
- in the fall - phosphorus-potassium mixtures, wood ash.
Pruning Nippon Spirea
Trimming Rules:
- pruning of faded branches is carried out half the length;
- in the spring, before the juice begins to move, the frozen branches are trimmed, in the autumn old, weak shoots, unnecessary sprouts are removed;
- poorly flowering shoots are removed every two years, old shoots are removed every 10 years.
Trimming Spirea
Winter preparations
Spirea bushes are frost-resistant, but they also need to be prepared for the cold. To do this, they are abundantly watered, fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, covered. Shelter is allowed with non-woven materials, dry straw or a thick layer of foliage.
Attention! In cold areas shoots are fixed near the ground, covered with fir branches, polyethylene.
Breeding
Reproduction methods:
- by seeds;
- cuttings;
- bends;
- dividing the bush.
By seeds - a long, labor-intensive process, as a rule, is used by breeders, it is not suitable for amateur gardeners, since the probability of obtaining a positive result is low.
Bends - provides high survival rate. The lower shoot is laid in the prepared furrow, fixed with a bracket, sprinkled with earth, so that the upper part remains above the ground. The soil is watered, covered. The next year, after a strong root system has grown, it is separated from the main bush and transplanted.
Division - the plant is dug up, the rhizome is divided into parts and transplanted to a selected place.
Spiraea bush division
Cuttings are a commonly used method. It is necessary:
- chop green cuttings with a length of 10 to 15 centimeters;
- remove the lower foliage on them, and shorten the upper one by half;
- pour sand into the pot (container), moisten;
- plant the stalk in wet sand at an acute angle;
- cover the container with a plastic bottle, place in a warm, well-lit room;
- in the cold season, the pot with the handle can be put on the balcony or left in the garden covered with polyethylene, dry foliage;
- in spring, after warming the soil, the stalk is planted.
Diseases and Pests
Nippon Spirea is highly immune to diseases. However, without treatment, it can suffer from pests: spider mites, geese of the blue meadowsweet sawfly.
The first is manifested in dry summers. It is detected by characteristic white spots and cobwebs on the leaves. To fight the bushes are treated with solutions of "Fusalon", "Phosphamide", "Metafoso".
Symptoms of the spider mite
Caterpillars of the blue meadowsweet sawfly destroy the young ovary, fresh leaves. To combat the pest use the Decis solution.
Nippon Spiraea in landscape design
Undemanding, resistant to cold, the availability of care, have provided spiraea nippon popularity in the refinement of settlements. Perfectly in harmony with conifers, colorfully decorates leisure areas. In cities, it lands at various sites, parks, and in residential and office buildings. It can be used both independently and as part of plant groups.
Attention! Spiraea june bright can be used in the form of a green fence, as an ornament of flower beds, alpine slides. Bushes of bride spirea are planted in groups or on their own. Spirea white Carpet when planting in a group is used to create the illusion of a white carpet on the ground.
When purchasing, it is advisable to look at the photo in order to compare the correspondence of the appearance of the bush with the design intent of the decorated area.
Nippon Spiraea in landscape design
The description of the plant indicates that this shrub develops well among urban areas and gas contamination. Most bushes can provide continuous, plentiful flowering from spring to autumn. Caring for spirea requires the skills of a gardener, but even an amateur will be able to grow a beautiful plant if he follows the specified rules of care.
