Growing the Rose Spirea

Size and Appearance

The Rose Spirea is a rounded but upright shrub growing 4 to 7 feet tall, sending up long stems covered in small leaves. These are up to 4 inches long, oblong in shape, with serrated edges, mainly towards the tip, and a smooth, dark-green upper surface. The undersides of the leaves are light gray to white and slightly fuzzy. They turn bronzy yellow in fall. This is a vigorous shrub that forms a dense clump of stems up to 6 feet across. Especially in wet soils it can sucker, forming dense thickets, so don’t plant it in areas with limited space.

In June and July long spikes of tiny, fuzzy flowers develop at the ends of the new stems. These are up to 12 inches long, although shorter on drier soils, forming a narrow pyramid of glowing purple-pink. The color is bright and clear, and stands out well. They attract pollinators, including several types of butterflies. Tan colored seed heads develop from the flowers, which have an attractive wintery look.

Using the Rose Spirea in Your Garden

This is a shrub for larger gardens, where it can be used to fill more natural areas, including edging water and in damp to wet places. It will also grow in ordinary soil, but always benefits from water. Use it along streams or beside lakes, or in open woodland areas. Plant it on slopes where it will reduce erosion.

Hardiness

The Rose Spirea is hardy in all cool to warm areas, from zone 5 into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Grow the Rose Spirea in full sun, or with a little partial shade, such as dappled shade along the edge of woodlands. It grows in most soils that are not too alkaline, and thrives in moist to wet soils, as long as they are well-drained. That is, it will grow in wet ground, but not in swampy areas with stagnant, smelly soil.

Maintenance and Pruning

Generally free of pests or diseases, the Rose Spirea is not usually bothered by deer. It is vigorous and easy to grow. It’s spread can be controlled by cutting around the plant with a sharp spade and removing suckers, or it can be allowed to colonize larger areas if wanted. Prune immediately after flowering to encourage more compact, shorter growth and abundant flowers the following year. Cut stems back by half to two-thirds, and remove any very old stems completely.

History and Origin of the Rose Spirea

The rose spirea, Spirea douglasii, is also known as Douglas’ spirea, western spirea and hardhack. The first European to see it was the intrepid plant explorer David Douglas, a working-class Scotsman who worked (for a very low salary) for the Royal Horticultural Society, exploring northwestern North America in the early 19th century. In all he brought back 240 different plants, including the Douglas fir. He sent back seeds of the rose spirea in 1827. It grows naturally from northern California through Oregon and Washington state into British Columbia. It grows eastward to Idaho and Tennessee. By an ironic twist it has become naturalized across Europe, now growing wild from Ireland to Hungary and north into Sweden.

Buying the Rose Spirea at the Tree Center

For something different and striking, this unique spirea will have your gardening friends asking you what it is. Grown in natural areas and modern ‘wild’ gardens, it’s a great plant, but rarely available. We found a supplier, but our stock is limited – order now because these plants won’t be with us for long.

Growing the Tor Spirea

Size and Appearance

The Tor Spirea is a small, rounded, deciduous shrub growing 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. It forms a dense, bushy plant with many small twigs, growing right to the ground. Untrimmed it could reach 4 feet tall in time.The slender zig-zag stems are dark reddish-brown and glossy when young. The small egg-shaped leaves resemble those of birch trees, and they are about 1½ inches long and smooth, with a triangular base and rounded teeth towards the tip end. Spring leaves are light green, quickly darkening to an attractive green with a slight bluish cast to it. The foliage stays clean and attractive at all times. In fall they turn wonderful shades of yellow, orange and red, with the strongest coloring developing in cold zones and full sun. The leaves are too small to make a litter problem, and soon disappear. In May to June rounded heads of flowers develop all over the bush, at the ends of new shoots. These are 2 to 2½ inches across, packed with many tiny blossoms. These have 5 rounded petals forming a shallow bowl, with fuzzy stamens that are pale cream. The brilliant white coloring really stands out, making a sparkling display. Flowers are followed by insignificant seed heads that disappear beneath the leaves.

Using the Tor Spirea in Your Garden

For a compact dwarf shrub, the Tor Spirea can’t be beaten. It is perfect for the front of shrub beds, with leaves right to the ground. Plant it among the evergreens around your house for color, or among summer-blooming shrubs. Use in for mass-planting in larger beds, in groups and drifts – space plants 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant a row at 18-inch intervals for a great hedge, with or without trimming. Use it to fill spaces in a rock garden, or among boulders on a slope. It is even small enough to grow in large planter boxes with other small shrubs.

Hardiness

The Tor Spirea is exceptionally hardy, growing well in zone 4, and through all but the hottest areas, into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun, or nothing more than an hour or two of shade each day is best for the Tor Spirea. Too much shade will make it floppy, with few flowers and poor fall color. It grows easily in all kinds of soils, as long as they are well-drained. In cooler zones it tolerates drier conditions – in hot zones moist soils are preferred. Once established it is fine in ordinary dry summer conditions – it will even encourage the strongest fall colors.

Maintenance and Pruning

Free of pests and diseases, and not eaten by deer, you should have no problems with this shrub at all. It belongs to the group of spirea that bloom on new stems, so prune in late winter as needed, removing a few of the oldest stems low down, and shortening younger ones for neatness. In actual fact it rarely needs much pruning, and can be ignored for years. A light trim after flowers – just enough to remove the spent flowers – is OK if you are a very neat gardener.

History and Origin of the Tor Spirea

Birch-leaf spirea, Spiraea betulifolia, is a species divided into four distinct varieties, with two of them (var. corymbosa and var. lucida) found growing wild across large parts of North America. In Alaska, British Columbia, eastern Russia and Japan, a compact variety called Spiraea betulifolia var. aemiliana is found, and it is this variety that is the parent of ‘Tor’. The word ‘torr’ in Swedish and Norwegian means ‘dry’, a reference to dry rocky places, giving us the British-English word ‘tor’, which means a rocky hill, perhaps a reference to the shrub’s mounded shape. We don’t know much about its origins, but it seems to have first appeared in America at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, part of the University of North Carolina, who offered it as a new release in 2002. They apparently obtained it from a Scandinavian source. It is notable for its more compact shape, cold resistance and excellent fall coloring.

Buying the Tor Spirea at the Tree Center

It’s important to build a backbone of reliable and easy shrubs in your garden – leaving you free to plant and nurture the trickier stuff. The Tor Spirea is perfect for all your ‘easy small shrub needed’ locations, but order now, as this variety is not widely available, and it won’t be around for long.

Growing the Sem False Spirea

Size and Appearance

The Sem False Spirea is a deciduous shrub that forms a dense clump of upright stems rising 4 to 6 feet tall and growing about the same width. The leaves are 6 to 7 inches long, but divided into leaflets along a central stem. Each leaflet is slender and pointed, with a finely-toothed edge. New leaves in spring are bright pink to red-bronze, turning chartreuse green with bronzy tips, and then light green for the summer. In fall the leaves turn uniform pale yellow before dropping. In late spring or early summer clusters of fluffy white flowers develop at the ends of the stems. These are in pyramidal bunches about 8 inches long, and make a very attractive display, drawing bees and butterflies to them. These are replaced by inconspicuous seed clusters.

Using the Sem False Spirea in Your Garden

Attractive and easy to grow shrubs are always needed for the backs of beds and for all those out of the way corners of your garden. The easy-to-grow Sem False Spirea is an easy solution for those areas. It isn’t invasive like its parent, and won’t spread where it isn’t wanted, but it’s sturdy enough to give good coverage. It is good on banks and slopes, where the stems and roots reduce soil erosion. Space plants 3 feet each way for solid cover in mass plantings. It has a very striking look, and its ferny leaves look great in the corners of Zen gardens and Asian-style plantings, with a bamboo-like appearance and texture. Its light coloring look fabulous with dark-leaf shrubs and especially with red-leaf Japanese maple trees.

Hardiness

The incredible winter hardiness of this plant, reliable even in zone 2, makes it a great choice in colder zones, where there are fewer plant choices, but its special leaf coloring makes it valuable everywhere, all the way into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Tolerant of a wide range of light levels, the Sem False Spirea grows in full sun, partial shade and the dappled shade beneath deciduous trees, although not so well in deeper shade. It grows in most soils, needing nothing special, but not so well in very dry soils or muddy ground. Once established it is fine during normal summer dry periods. Young plants should be watered regularly.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Sem False Spirea is normally free of pests or diseases, and easy to grow. In spring, when the buds are swelling, remove any dead stems and parts of stems. At the same time, when plants are older, you can remove some of the tallest branches, to keep it more compact. Any suckering stems that grow around it can be removed with a sharp spade, but this plant is not an aggressive spreader.

History and Origin of the Sem False Spirea

The false spirea, Sorbaria sorbifolia, grows all through eastern Russia, to the Pacific, and in northern China and Korea. It was introduced into Europe early, growing in English gardens by 1760. It has been a popular garden shrub in Europe and North America for a very long time, but few varieties existed. In 1998 Joannis Nouws, of the Witteman & Company nursery in Hillegom, the Netherlands, crossed together two plants of false spirea he had selected. Two years later he chose a unique seedling from the plants he raised, which had unique red spring growth, lighter-green foliage and more compact growth. It was named ‘Sem’ and given European Plant Breeders Rights in 2001 and an American patent in 2009.

Buying the Sem False Spirea at the Tree Center

This new false spirea is destined to replace old, wild plants both here and in Europe. Say ‘goodbye’ to the old bully and ‘hello’ to its tamed, more colorful replacement, and give your garden a great filler you will love. Order now because new varieties of this quality sell out fast – don’t miss out.

Growing the White Gold Spirea

Size and Appearance

The White Gold Spirea is a small deciduous shrub with a twiggy habit, growing between 2 and 3 feet tall and spreading to almost 4 feet across. The branches are hidden by the dense foliage, making an attractive golden mound in your beds. It is typically wider than it is tall, making it great for covering larger areas while staying low. The oval leaves taper to a point, and they are 1 or 2 inches long. When they emerge in spring they are bright yellow, turning more chartreuse green in summer, depending on the amount of sun, but staying bright. This coloring lasts through summer and into fall, when it may turn lighter yellow again. The leaves don’t burn, even in hot summer sunshine.

In late spring and early summer clusters of small flowers develop at the ends of the new branches. These clusters are 1¼ inches across, and each one contains up to 30 tiny flowers, which are white with the lightest touch of cream. The stamens protrude from the flower, giving a slightly fuzzy look to these cute blossoms. Flowering lasts several weeks, and stems sometimes produce more blooms in late summer.

Using the White Gold Spirea in Your Garden

You can create beautiful golden accents in your beds with the White Gold Spirea. Use one plant, or groups of 3, 5 or more to make clusters and ribbons of gold along the front of your beds as edging, against a lawn or paved surface. Use it in a rock garden, or beside a pond. Plant it beside a path, or on either side of an entrance or door. It is also an excellent plant for trimming into neat low hedges, and for growing in planter boxes and pots.

Hardiness

The White Gold Spirea is incredibly hardy, growing without damage even in zone 3, and thriving all the way into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Growing it in full sun is the best way to keep this plant golden and bright. It will grow in partial shade, but expect a more lime-green foliage – which is still attractive and bright. Unlike many other gold-leaf plants this one won’t scorch in the summer sun, but just turn more golden.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rare and not normally found on the White Gold Spirea. It is very low-maintenance and it can be left pretty much to take care of itself. If you like a neater garden, trim lightly after most of the blooms are over, to remove the spent flower heads – new growth will quickly sprout out, often producing more blooms. Once it is a few years old, some spring pruning will keep it vigorous and at its best. Remove several of the older branches, leaving a framework of young stems, and trim those back by about one-third. This will keep the plant vigorous and attractive for many years. Some water in long dry summers will be appreciated, but this plant has good resistance to drought.

History and Origin of the White Gold Spirea

The Japanese Spirea, Spiraea japonica, grows wild through the north of Japan and China. It has been grown in gardens there for centuries, and all the original forms brought to Europe and America were garden plants, not the wild plant itself. The development of the plant called ‘White Gold’ is a lesson in plant breeding. Back in 1993 Peter Catt, who lives in the village of Liss, in Hampshire, England, took pollen from a plant of the Japanese spirea with golden leaves and pink flowers, called ‘Candlelight’. He used it to pollinate a plant of the wild white-flowered variety, Spirea japonica var. albiflora, which has green leaves. There were several seedlings with gold leaves that grew from this cross, but none of them had white flowers. So Peter this time took pollen from his plant of albiflora, and used it on the best of the golden plants. Among the seedlings he grew was one with golden leaves and white flowers – exactly what he had been aiming for. After testing it for garden value he patented his unique plant in 2003, with the name ‘White Gold’.

Buying the White Gold Spirea at the Tree Center

We love this great plant, which should be grown more by everyone who likes their gardens attractive, color-coordinated and trouble-free. That is pretty much everyone, so these plants will be off the farm very soon – order right away.

Growing the Double Play® Big Bang® Spirea

Size and Appearance

The Double Play Big Bang Spirea is a mounding deciduous shrub, growing 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, and maintaining a neat profile without trimming. Many branches grow from the base, keeping it vigorous and full for many years. The small leaves are carried in clusters all over it, so it always looks bushy. The pointed leaves are 1½ inches long by 1-inch wide, oval, with an interesting jagged edge and a broadly pointed tip. They are smooth, but not particularly glossy. New leaves in spring emerge in beautiful tones of reddish orange, turning to bright yellow before maturing to a medium green. New growth through the season is similar, with a more muted orange tone turning greenish-yellow before becoming maturing green.

Flowering begins in late spring and continues throughout the summer, with the biggest show at the first blooming. The flower heads are bigger than you will see in any other Japanese spirea, growing a generous 3 inches across, packed with about 200 tiny bright-pink flowers. They really make this a real ‘flowering shrub’ and not just a ‘shrub with flowers’ – a great garden show for sure.

Using the Double Play® Big Bang® Spirea in Your Garden

The Double Play Big Bang Spirea is an incredibly useful shrub – you can grow it almost anywhere, and it takes on so many garden jobs. Use it alone in smaller beds, or tucked in to fill a stray corner. Plant it in larger groups to really fill your beds and give a rich look to your garden. Grow it in a continuous row at the front of larger beds, or as an easy low hedge anywhere. For group planting or hedges, space the plants 18 inches apart for a continuous flowing look that will crowd out weeds. Plant it in pockets of a rock garden, on slopes, or on the levels of terracing. Use it in tubs or planter boxes too – it looks great anywhere and everywhere in your garden.

Hardiness

In all but the hottest parts of the country, this shrub will thrive. It is especially useful in zones 3 and 4, where the choices are more limited. Not suitable for zone 8 or warmer, as it needs winter cold to develop properly.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The best growth is seen when planted in full sun, but don’t worry – a few hours of shade for part of the day won’t cause any problems at all. Any well-drained soil is suitable, or any type, including poor urban soils and both heavy clays and rocky ground. ‘Tough’ is the word that best describes this reliable shrub. Once established it has good resistance to normal periods of dryness.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Double Play Big Bang Spirea is untroubled by pests or diseases and a big bonus is its resistance to deer, who almost always leave it alone. As for trimming, a light trim after the first flowering is a guarantee of many more flowers to come, and sets it up for a neat look over the rest of the year. In spring you can either do a quick trim back by about one-third, or a more detailed pruning, removing thin twiggy branches, and a few of the oldest ones, and shortening back the remaining stems.

History and Origin of the Double Play® Big Bang® Spirea

Fritsch’s spirea, Spiraea fritschiana, is a white-flowered species of spirea from Korea and China that is not widely grown in gardens. Crossed with the Japanese spirea, Spiraea japonica, it has given us the Double Play® group of spirea. In 1995 Timothy Wood, a breeder with Spring Meadow Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan, found a unique seedling of that plant, with red spring growth, and pink flowers, that he named ‘Wilma’. This bush is usually grown as Pink Parasols®. In 2003 he pollinated that plant with a Japanese spirea and grew a batch of seedlings. Among them was one that stood out for combining big pink flowers with orange spring growth, all on a compact and neat bush. He named it ‘Tracy’ and patented it in 2010. It is made available by Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., of Grand Haven, Michigan as Big Bang®, one of their Double Play® range of new spirea bushes, under the Proven Winners® brand.

Buying the Double Play® Big Bang® Spirea at The Tree Center

It’s easy to make a big bang in your beds with this great shrub. With very little effort you can bring a succession of colors to your garden. But don’t hesitate to get started, because these plants are hugely popular, and soon sell out – order now.