Description and best varieties of spirea sulfur, rules for planting and care in open ground

In landscape design, plants are often used that change the overall green background of plantings and decorate areas with exotic shades. Gray spirea (Spiraea) is loved by gardeners for its exquisite ash-colored foliage, abundant flowering, and beautiful bush shape. The perennial shrub is frost-resistant and unpretentious. Let's consider what conditions are necessary for spirea to live, and how to grow a flower on a plot.

Description of spiraea sulfur

Spiraea cinerea is an ornamental shrub, a hybrid obtained by crossing two natural species of spirea. Belongs to the Rosaceae (Pink) family. The size of the bush is 0.9-2 meters. The branches are flexible, densely strewn with leaves, so they bend in arcs towards the ground, giving the bush the shape of a ball. The foliage is lanceolate, gray-green, slightly lighter at the bottom. Flowers are collected in inflorescences (scutellums), which are formed along the entire length of the branches. During the flowering period, the white flowers completely hide the leaves, the bush turns white, for which the spirea is popularly called the “bride.”

The buds bloom in May, flowering lasts 30-40 days. Neat ash-colored leaves give the spirea a sophisticated look even after flowering has ended.

Information: flower growers love gray spirea for its decorative effect, which lasts all season. Ash-green foliage decorates the garden, the bush with bent branches has the shape of a sphere, flowering lasts a month.

Types and varieties

Flower growers cultivate 2 hybrids of spirea sulfur, which are distinguished by their beauty and ease of cultivation.

Grefsheim

The Grefsheim variety has a lush bush with reddish-brown branches. The foliage is grayish-green, turning yellow in autumn. The bush turns into a golden ball. Even in winter, spirea looks decorative - numerous branches do not stick out as bare skeletons, the bush retains its shape corresponding to the varietal description.

Spiraea gray variety Grefsheim is famous for its numerous umbrella inflorescences, which sit close to each other, located from the very ground to the end of the branches. Flower color - white, white-pink, red. Small flowers (up to 1 centimeter) are tightly grouped into inflorescences.

Spiraea Grefsheim during the flowering period exudes a pleasant aroma and attracts a lot of bees.The honey plant is specially planted to attract insects.

Graciosa

Graciosa bushes with flexible long branches look more spreading and bend more towards the ground. The inclined and curved stems look like the jets of a fountain. Graciosa blooms with white fragrant flowers in May-June. After flowering is complete, the bush retains its elegant appearance. The Arguta (sharp-toothed) variety with green foliage is very similar to gray spirea.

Advantages and disadvantages

Flower growers find a lot of valuable qualities in gray spirea:

• decorative throughout the year;
• frost resistance - frozen tips of branches are cut off, this does not affect the beauty of the bush;
• easy reproduction;
• fast growth;
• long flowering period;
• does not need clean air, grows in polluted conditions.

The plant releases phytoncides and improves the air in the area. Flower growers claim that spirea has no disadvantages. Please note that the bush should be allocated a sunny place and pruned regularly to maintain ventilation and stimulate flowering.

Specifics of cultivation

Gray spirea has a non-capricious disposition; flower growers note the plant’s unpretentiousness and ease of care. When planting, it is important to remember that the branches grow up to 15-25 centimeters per year; a small seedling will soon turn into a shrub, which can reach 3 meters in girth. This must be taken into account when choosing a planting scheme, planning use for a hedge or next to other plants.

When to plant?

The best time for planting in open ground is considered to be the beginning of autumn - cloudy rainy weather. If the seedling is planted in the spring, you need to do it before the buds open.Spiraea takes root easily; flower growers believe that a seedling from a pot with a lump of earth will take root when planted at any time, the main thing is to water and lightly shade the young sprout from the sun at first.

How to plant?

Spiraea, growing in the sun, has a symmetrical, lush bush, blooms profusely and for a long time. For shrubs, it is better to choose open sunny places, allowing only slight shading. Heavy soil is lightened with humus, dry leaves, and peat. The pit is prepared several days before planting. A drainage layer of small stones is placed at the bottom to ensure that excess water escapes. The size of the pit is 40-50 centimeters.

A layer of prepared fertile soil is poured over the drainage. The roots of the seedling are trimmed, and areas that are too long and damaged are removed. Place the young sprout in the center of the hole so that the growth point coincides with the surface of the soil, and cover it with soil and compact it. Spill water (a bucket) and, if necessary, level the seedling in the hole. The soil surface is mulched with organic matter.

Tips for caring for flowers

During the growing season, spirea needs to be properly cared for, then the size of the shrub will increase and flowering will be long. Care includes the usual set of activities - watering, fertilizing, pruning.

Watering

Recommendations for watering spirea:

1. 10-15 liters of settled warm water are poured into the root circle.
2. The water application mode is 2 times a month.
3. During the peak summer season, in the absence of rain and high air temperatures, water twice a week. It is better to water in the evening or early morning.

After the top layer has dried, the soil is loosened to a depth of 7-8 centimeters, trying not to damage the roots.During the rainy season, watering is reduced - spirea does not need excess moisture, as mold and root rot can develop. Remove weeds regularly.

Top dressing

The first time spirea is fed after spring pruning to ensure the growth of branches and green mass. Apply diluted manure or bird droppings combined with superphosphate (8-10 grams per bush). Secondary feeding is done at the beginning of budding, adding a potassium-phosphorus-nitrogen complex (Kemira Universal).

times they are fertilized as part of pre-winter preparation - with complex fertilizers and organic matter.

Trimming Features

The spirea bush grows quickly; to maintain the decorativeness and health of the plant, several types of pruning are used:

1. Spring (main). Dead branches, frostbitten tips, and diseased, damaged parts of the bush are cut out.
2. Decorative. It is carried out in early spring - the shoots are cut by a third, choosing one of 2-3. The bush is given the desired shape so that it pleases with its appearance.
3. Rejuvenating. A necessary measure for plants aged 7-10 years. The branches should be cut at the root, close to the ground, leaving the lower dormant buds. In the future, young shoots will grow from the old root, and the bush will be completely renewed.

When formative pruning, you should not remove only old shoots, otherwise the young branches will not produce abundant flowering.

Transfer

If it is necessary to transplant spirea, a hole in a new place is prepared in 5-7 days. The main thing when replanting is to remove the bush without greatly damaging the root system and preserving the earthen lump. Spiraea is dug up from all sides, the plant is removed with soil and transferred to a new place on fabric. The earthen ball with the bush is lowered into the hole, aligning the growth points with the soil surface.The plant is shed with water with a dissolved growth stimulator (Kornevin). In dry weather, the bush is covered with a large piece of wet cloth for 3-5 days, constantly maintaining humidity.

Help: the best time to transplant spirea is the cool time of early spring, before the buds activate, or autumn, before cold weather.

Preparing for winter

Spiraea has a large reserve of frost resistance. To prevent the root system from freezing due to a lack of snow, the soil around the plant in winter must be covered with a layer of mulch (peat, hay, foliage). The ends of branches damaged by frost are pruned in the spring.

Diseases, pests and prevention

The dense bush of spirea often becomes prey for pests - aphids, spider mites, leaf rollers. For removal, insecticides are used in accordance with instructions – Aktellik, Etafos, Karbofos, Akreks. With excess watering and in rainy summers, fungal diseases can develop on the bushes - septoria, ramularia or others. Damaged areas of the bush are cut out, the spirea is treated with fungicidal preparations (Fundazol), Bordeaux mixture.

To protect spirea from diseases and pests, they follow the watering regime and ruthlessly cut out excess branches, preventing the bush from thickening. It is recommended to treat the plant with Fitoverm in the spring before the growing season begins.

Plant propagation methods

To preserve the maternal properties of the plant, spirea should be propagated by vegetative methods. The cuttings take root easily, so even inexperienced gardeners can grow a young bush.

Seeds

Hybrid plants are not propagated by seeds.

Cuttings

Cuttings are prepared from hard shoots immediately after flowering. Cut pieces of woody stem with 5-6 leaves.The cutting is placed in a container with nutrient soil and covered with a transparent dome. Water and feed regularly. By autumn they are transferred to open ground. The young seedling is carefully covered for the winter.

Dividing the bush

Division is used only in one case - if the bush needs replanting. After removing the plant from the soil, the roots are freed from the soil. Using a sharp knife, the bush is divided into 2-3 parts with strong roots and buds, and the divisions are planted in a permanent place.

By layering

The simplest and most convenient way to propagate spirea on your own site is through layering. The branches of the bush themselves bend to the ground, they are pressed to the ground and pinned. Water and loosen the soil. After rooting, the seedling is dug up and transplanted to a prepared place. A single bush of gray spirea will perfectly decorate any area. Against its background, low flowers look bright - tulips, daffodils, primroses, crocuses. The shrub itself looks impressive near coniferous crops. With the help of a number of bushes, the area is divided into zones and used for hedges.

Spirea feels comfortable in cold Russia; it is cultivated even in Siberia and on the Kola Peninsula. Gray foliage is a great way to dilute the green color in the area and add a special chic to the landscape. The bush is strewn with flowers for a whole month; after the petals fall, the plant retains its beautiful appearance and is still pleasing to the eye.