Description and characteristics of Argut spirea, planting, cultivation and care

Spiraea arguta (another name is meadowsweet) belongs to the category of beautiful flowering shrubs that are grown to decorate the garden. The exquisite beauty of this ornamental plant comes from its membership in the Rosaceae family. Arguta is a type of spirea that grows not only in forest-steppe and forest zones, but also in the northern parts of mountain regions, as it is frost and moisture resistant. It can be found both in the Himalayas and in Mexico.

General information about the plant

Arguta is a hybrid, which was created using 2 species of Spiraea: multiflora and Thunberga. An adult plant reaches 2 m in height, and the length of its branches sometimes reaches 3 m. The rich green leaves have a lanceolate shape, they are narrow with sharp jagged edges, and therefore this type of spirea has a second name - sharp-serrated. The branches are thin, gracefully bending in the form of an arc. White flowers cover the meadowsweet from late May to late June. Formed on plants of the 2nd year. They represent an elongated umbrella-type inflorescence.

The diameter of the flower is 8 mm. It has 5 petals with a large number of stamens, giving the inflorescence a visual fluffiness. During the period of powerful flowering, the leaves are hidden under an abundance of snow-white buds, and the branches bend under their weight. The flowers exude a honey aroma. Arguta grows slowly: 10-20 cm per year. But despite this, meadowsweet is still pruned.

Varieties and types of spirea Arguta

Arguta is a spring-flowering or early species of Spiraea, as the flowering period occurs in May-June.

About 100 species of spirea are known, the most popular of which are:

• Gray, distinguished by its 2-meter height and pale white color of inflorescences;
• spirea Vangutta, surprising with the blue-green color of the leaves and the deep white color of the buds;
• Crenate, very low growing, less than 1 m, with greenish-gray leaves and white-yellow inflorescences;
• oak-leaved, about 2 m with rich white buds;
• Medium, 1-2 m in height;
• Japanese, with pink flowers, green upper leaves and bluish lower leaves;
• Birch-leaved, 0.6 m high, with cone-shaped pink buds and leaves resembling birch in shape;
• Arguta (another name is sharp-toothed), having a height of 1.5 to 2 m and spectacular hanging branches of the plant, densely covered with baskets of snow-white petals.

Compacta is a variety of Spiraea arguta popular among gardeners, which was bred in Germany in the 19th century. The height and circumference of the crown of the plant is 1.5 m. Distinctive features:

• powerful flowering;
• decorative spherical shape of the plant;
• long growth;
• instability of the plant to frost.

Small numerous white inflorescences of spirea abundantly cover graceful branches falling to the ground, so gardeners often call it a delicate beauty.

Growing conditions and planting

Arguta is an undemanding plant, but in order for it to take root, you need to follow a number of care rules:

1. It is necessary to plant by dividing a 3-4 year old plant, until the roots are too voluminous, away from groundwater, in an area open to sunlight, otherwise the flowering will not be powerful. It is better to do this in September in cloudy weather.
2. Select fertile soil, but clay and loamy soil is also acceptable.
3. To speed up the adaptation of the spirea, a composition of turf, peat, sand is placed in the planting hole, and a drainage layer is also made (for example, broken brick).
4. The roots of the spirea dug out for planting are thoroughly washed with water, then using pruning shears they are divided into 3 separate parts so that each has 2-3 powerful stems. At the same time, the cord-like roots of the plant are trimmed.
5. Then the spirea is lowered into the hole, covered with soil, lightly compacted, and watered in several stages.

In case of soil subsidence, the spirea is additionally sprinkled with earth, and after half an hour it is watered with liquid humic fertilizer.As further care, you need to follow the rules of watering the plant, pruning and preventing pest control.

Tips for caring for a bush

To ensure that the flowering is abundant and the arguta does not lose its decorative beauty, it is worth using a few simple recommendations for caring for the plant.

Relation to temperature

Arguta can withstand summer heat and winter frost quite well. Even 40-degree frost will not be destructive for the plant. It is enough to cover it with foliage, as well as follow the basic principles of pruning, watering and fertilizing the soil, and carry out these manipulations in a timely manner in accordance with the temperature regime.

Soil and fertilizers

Arguta does not require frequent application of fertilizers to the soil. If nutrients were added during planting in sufficient quantities, then this volume will be enough for 1 year. Additionally, you need to apply fertilizer only after cutting off all the shoots almost to the root. To give the spirea strength, prepare a nutritious mixture of organic matter (50-70 cm thick) and mineral fertilizers (for example, “Kemiry”).

Watering and humidity

Spiraea needs to be watered systematically, but soil moisture should be moderate, this is especially important with mulched soil. During the summer heat or during a drought, watering is performed 1 time/3 days, and in normal weather and moderate precipitation - 1 time/1 week. Typically, approximately 15 liters of water are used at a time to moisten 1 bush. At the end of watering, the soil is mulched to prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface.

Trimming

Arguta is a spring-flowering species of Spiraea, and therefore requires little pruning. But this does not exclude sanitary measures that are carried out after flowering.During this period, dry and damaged branches and shoots older than 5 years are removed.

If the formation of a bush is required, then it is carried out in March, removing frozen and weak branches and leaving the strongest ones. But in order to completely rejuvenate the spirea, all old branches are cut off almost to the root. To preserve the decorative properties of spirea, long-blooming shoots are pruned. This procedure is carried out every 2-3 years.

Pests, diseases and prevention

Arguta is a hardy plant, and it is not afraid of ordinary bush diseases: infectious diseases in meadowsweet are extremely rare. Sometimes Spiraea is affected by gray mold or some types of spotting, to get rid of which fungicidal preparations are used (Fundazol, Fitosporin, Bordeaux mixture or colloidal sulfur).

However, arguta may suffer from:

• spider mite;
• aphids;
• rose leaf roller;
• caterpillars

The spider mite makes holes in leaves and flowers and envelops the shoots with cobwebs. The leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off prematurely. These pests are especially dangerous during summer heat and drought. A 0.2% solution of Phosfamide, Acrexom, Keltanoma or Karbofos, which is used to treat the branches, will help save spirea from parasites.

Aphids cause damage to leaves and inflorescences by drinking all the juices from the spirea. Granules of the 5% composition “Pyrimor”, necessary for application to the soil, will get rid of the scourge. Treatment is carried out with the onset of the growing season.

The rose leaf roller becomes dangerous when the thermometer reaches +13 °C. She rolls the sheets into a tube and makes holes in them, causing the argut to begin to dry. For the rehabilitation of spirea, a mixture of 0.7% Bitoxibacillin and 0.03% Pirimor is used.These drugs also have an excellent effect on other pests.

As a preventive measure, timely application of fertilizers is used, and spirea is planted as far as possible from the source of potential danger.

Reproduction methods

Arguta propagates well by cuttings and layering.

Cuttings

Spiraea cuttings are prepared in the summer in 2 ways:

1. They are cut from slightly lignified shoots of this season and kept in a solution of humic fertilizer or root-stimulating composition for about 12 hours, then placed 3.5 cm in the ground. By autumn, roots should appear.
2. Green cuttings 8-9 cm long are prepared in early June. The lower leaves are removed and the shoot is buried 20 mm. Replanted next season.

Do not forget to water the spirea.

By layering

In the spring, when the leaves appear, the branches located at the edge of the spirea are bent and lowered into pre-dug shallow trenches, then covered with soil.
Water and apply organic fertilizers 1 time/1 week. By next spring, roots will appear. At the beginning of April, spirea can already be planted in a permanent place.

Possible difficulties during cultivation

There are no difficulties when growing spirea, but there are some care nuances that are worth knowing:

1. Arguta planted in the fall may die in the first winter, since the young shrub is not strong enough, unlike adult meadowsweet, and it needs to be created with comfortable conditions.
2. You cannot prune faded branches; this will provoke the growth of side shoots and spoil the overall appearance.

There will be no problems with spirea in other matters.

Use in landscape design

When decorating their plot, gardeners focus on undemanding plants that have high decorative properties.Arguta meets these criteria:

• resistant to diseases;
• easily tolerates winter frosts.

From it you can create an elegant hedge or various compositions from representatives of different varieties. Arguta goes well with deciduous and coniferous trees. In addition, spirea branches are used in bouquets.