Spirea Nipponskaya - planting and care

Plants are widely used in modern landscape design. For decoration, gardeners use many types of spirea plants. Their variety allows you to choose a suitable solution for an interior or exterior installation.

Description of the plant: what it looks like, which family

Spiraea (spirea) is a genus of the pink family, has 90 species. From the ancient Greek language it means "bend, spiral". A specific feature of the bushes is the abundant growth of branches curved to the ground with leaves arranged in a spiral order.

Spirea snowmound

A woody shrub that grows in forest-steppes, semi-deserts, highlands of the Northern Hemisphere. Deciduous bushes, mainly up to two meters in height, are found even higher. They differ in the color of the leaves, the external shape of the bush, and the timing of flowering. Many in the fall change the green color of the leaves to a wide palette of colors of yellow and red spectra.

Forms:

• weeping;
• pyramidal;
• erect;
• hemispherical;
• cascade;
• creeping.

Flowering time:

• spring flowering;
• summer flowering.

Abundantly showered with small flowers, collected in various inflorescences with a wide range of colors from white to crimson.

Spiraea nipponica varieties

Spirea species have been used by European gardeners since the late 19th century. The most popular early flowering is the nippon spirea (spiraea nipponica). Bred on the Japanese island of Shikoku. "Nippon" is translated from Japanese as the Land of the Rising Sun.

The most popular varieties:

• spirea snowmouth is a spring-flowering shrub up to two meters high with a spreading crown formed by a large number of vertically growing shoots, arcuate branches. Leaves are oval, up to 4 centimeters long, dark emerald color. The inflorescences are lush, snow-white, bloom in the first decade of June. Spirea snowmound blooms for 20 days. Frost-resistant, withstands negative temperatures up to 30 ° C;
• spiraea June Bride is a spherical bush, 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 numerous snow-white inflorescences. The foliage is small, dark olive in color, lasts until late autumn. Winter-resistant, withstands negative temperatures of 25 ° C.

Spirea June Bride

• spirea Halvard Silver is a short shrub with dense foliage, up to one meter high and up to one and a half meters wide. The foliage is oval, dark green in color, at the end of summer it changes color to copper-red. The flowers are snow-white, blooms in June, flowering occurs for more than a month. Has a rich aroma. Grows in moist soil, shaded, sunny places;
• Spirea Gelves Rainbow is a light-loving, slowly developing shrub. The annual growth is 10-15 centimeters. In height and width, an adult plant is no 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 is a spreading bush up to 80 centimeters high.The creeping form of white carpet provided the bush with the highest degree of frost resistance in comparison with other varieties.

Planting and caring for nippon spirea

Every amateur gardener can grow Nippon spirea. Caring for Spirea Nippon Snowmound and other varieties requires adherence to certain rules.

Preparation of planting material and site

It is advisable to buy a spirea seedling of Nippon snowmouth or another variety with an earthen lump on the rhizome or in a container.

Requirements:

• roots are elastic, moist;
• without traces of decay, injuries.

WITHpiraeus WITHnoumound: planting and care

They are planted on cloudy days in sunny, shaded places, in autumn or spring. The holes for seedlings are placed 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 out slightly wider than the rhizome. A layer of drainage and earth is placed at the base. The dry roots of the seedling are cut off. The rhizome is soaked in water for 2 hours, then placed in the hole. Sprinkling earth on each layer, tamp, watered, covered. The planting blooms for 3 years of planting.

Watering and feeding

A plant with a fibrous rhizome, so watering should be carried out systematically. During a drought, up to 3 times a month. Water consumption - 15 liters per bush. Then the earth is loosened up, covered.

Top dressing is carried out three times per season:

• in the spring - with nitrogenous mixtures;
• in summer - organic additives;
• in the fall - phosphorus-potassium mixtures, wood ash.

Pruning nippon spirea

Pruning rules:

• pruning of faded branches is carried out half the length;
• in the spring, before the juice begins to move, the frozen branches are pruned, in the fall old, weak shoots, unnecessary shoots are removed;
• poor flowering shoots are removed every two years, old shoots are removed every 10 years.

Trimming the spirea.

Preparing for winter

Spirea bushes are frost-resistant, however, they must also be prepared for cold weather. To do this, they are abundantly watered, fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, and covered. It is allowed to cover with non-woven materials, dry straw or a thick layer of foliage.

Reproduction

Breeding methods:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• taps;
• dividing the bush.

Seeds are a long, labor-intensive process, as a rule, used by breeders; they are not suitable for amateur gardeners, since the likelihood of obtaining a positive result is low.

Taps - provides high survival rate. The lower shoot is placed 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 the chosen place.

Dividing the spirea bush

Cutting is a frequently used method. It is necessary:

• cut green cuttings 10 to 15 centimeters long;
• remove the lower foliage on them, and shorten the upper one by half the length;
• pour sand into a pot (container), moisten;
• plant the cutting in wet sand at an acute angle;
• cover the container with a plastic bottle, take it to a warm, well-lit room;
• in the cold season, a pot with a shank can be put on the balcony or left in the garden, covered with polyethylene, dry foliage;
• in spring, after warming up the soil, the cutting is planted.

Diseases and pests

Spiraea nipponskaya has a strong immunity to diseases. However, without treatment, it can suffer from pests: spider mites, caterpillars of the blue meadow sawer.

The first occurs during dry summer periods. It is found by the characteristic white spots and cobwebs on the leaves. To fight the bushes are treated with solutions "Fuzalon", "Phosphamide", "Metafoso".

Spider mite symptoms

Caterpillars of blue meadowsweet sawfly destroy young ovary and fresh leaves. Decis solution is used to combat the pest.

Spirea nipponskaya in landscape design

Undemandingness, resistance to cold, availability of care, ensured the popularity of Spirea Nippon in the improvement of settlements. Perfectly harmonizes with conifers, colorfully decorates leisure areas. In cities, it is planted at various kinds of sites, parks, at residential and office buildings. It can be used both independently and as part of plant groups.

When purchasing, it is advisable to see the photo in order to check the correspondence of the appearance of the bush with the design intention of the area being decorated.

Spirea nipponskaya in landscape design

The description of the plant indicates that this shrub develops well among urban buildings and gas pollution. Most shrubs can provide continuous, profuse flowering from spring to fall. Caring for a spirea requires the skills of a gardener, but even an amateur can grow a beautiful plant if he follows the specified care rules.