A distinctive feature that makes the Vangutta spirea not just a shrub, but a real decoration of the garden, is its flowering. This ornamental plant can revive any, even the most problematic, area with an avalanche of beautiful white flowers. And relative unpretentiousness, ease of pruning and ease of growing are not all its advantages.
Description and varieties
French breeders bred this species in the second half of the 19th century by crossing Cantonese and three-lobed spirea. Gardeners immediately fell in love with it, and have not lost popularity since then. Spiraea Vangutta is a spherical shrub with numerous spreading branches. The leaves are round, obovate, with finely toothed edges, dark green in color, and bluish-green on the underside. In autumn they turn red-orange in color.
At the moment of abundant flowering, the shoots cascade towards the ground. It blooms in spring, from mid-May, in June - depending on the region of growth. But it may re-bloom slightly in August. At the moment of abundant flowering, the shoots cascade towards the ground. Spiraea flowers are small, bright white, clustered in numerous, dense hemispherical inflorescences.
It is characterized by shade tolerance, unpretentiousness and high growth energy. The species is frost-resistant, but if the temperature drops significantly, the tips of young branches may freeze. Widely used by landscape designers and simple gardeners to decorate summer cottages and create hedges. Suitable for planting in mixed groups and as a single plant. It prefers fertile, loose, well-drained soil with neutral acidity, but can grow successfully in different types of soil.
Gold Fontaine
Spiraea Gold Fountain appeared as a result of a mutation of Spiraea Wangutta. It has more pronounced decorative qualities. This is a compact, graceful deciduous shrub with a spherical shape. The shoots are orange-reddish, spreading, arched, up to 1.2 meters high. Spiraea grows up to 1.5 meters in width. Gold Fontaine is growing quite slowly. During the season, the growth is only 15-20 centimeters.
Young foliage turns orange-red in spring; in summer, its color changes to a spectacular deep yellow. The leaves are oval, slightly lobed, with a glossy sheen. A prerequisite for preserving decorative, golden foliage is planting in open sun. When grown in the shade it turns green.
The flowers of Gold Fontaine spirea are numerous, small, white, grouped in hemispherical inflorescences. They have a persistent fragrant, honey aroma. This is truly a golden fountain in the garden. Excellent for forming hedges, in solo and group compositions, together with conifers and other deciduous plants. Spiraea Gold Fontain is used by landscape designers for urban landscaping. It is characterized by high frost resistance. This variety can be grown in any type of soil.
Pink Ice
Spiraea Pink Ice is a compact shrub with original, variegated foliage and strongly drooping red branches. The plant is spherical in shape, the height and width of the bush are similar - from 1.5 to 2.0 meters. Young leaves are creamy white, less often pinkish. As they grow, they acquire a pale green color, with abundant cream spots appearing.
Pink Ice spirea blooms in May-June. Numerous small white flowers bloom on it. They are collected in dense, beautiful, hemispherical inflorescences that tightly cover the shoots. Looks impressive in contrasting compositions, for example, with barberry. Grows well in soils without stagnant water, with acidity ranging from slightly acidic to alkaline. Good frost resistance, but at very low temperatures the tips of young shoots may freeze.
Renaissance
An interspecific hybrid of American selection, bred on the basis of an old favorite variety of gardens and parks. A fast growing plant, reaching a maximum height of 1.5 meters and 2.0 meters in width. It is characterized by a more compact bush size than that of Spiraea Vangutta. The branches are numerous, slightly curved.
Blooms from mid-April to late May with stunning creamy white flowers. The foliage of Renaissance Spiraea is gracefully lobed, small in size, with finely toothed edges, and is bluish-green throughout the season.
Prefers to be grown in well-sunny areas. The variety is characterized by high disease resistance and frost resistance. The variety has virtually no disadvantages. Plus there is no need for constant pruning. Widely used as a single plant and in various mixed compositions.
Snow White
A charming spirea with a beautiful name translated into Russian - Snow White. A neat, compact crown of a round shape, somewhat reminiscent of a vase. The branches are gracefully arched, with dark green, lobed foliage that turns orange-red in autumn. In spring, white flowers cover the stems profusely.
The shoots cascade down to the ground. It grows to a maximum height of 1.20 meters and a width of 1.50 meters. It tolerates polluted city air well, and is characterized by high winter hardiness. Thanks to these qualities, the plant is widely used for landscaping parks and squares. Used to create hedges, as well as a separate or group plant. Prefers to be grown in full sun.
Growing a bush
Despite all its endurance and unpretentiousness, spirea prefers planting in well-lit areas.And, of course, it shows the best results when grown on loose, well-drained soils.
What should the soil be like?
Prefers fertile, loose, drained soil with neutral acidity. But spirea can develop successfully in different types of soil. With high soil density, digging a larger planting hole is required. It is advisable to pour a drainage layer of crushed stone, expanded clay, and small pieces of brick at the bottom.
Planting process and scheme
When planting spirea seedlings with an open root system (ORS), especially large-sized specimens, it is important to observe the planting deadlines. Autumn is the optimal time for this. It can be planted from the beginning to the end of September, in some cases until mid-October, depending on the region of the country. The main conditions for successful transplantation are absence of heat, cloudy weather and high soil moisture.
If there is little rain in the fall, it is necessary to provide frequent watering after planting. They are also planted in early spring, before the start of sap flow in the shoots. But seedlings with a closed root system (ZRS) are planted throughout the season. If the soil at the planting site is suitable - loose, well-drained, then the size of the planting hole will be 25-30% larger than the root of the transplanted plant. And the depth of the hole is 40-50 centimeters.
But if the soil is clayey, heavy, and if water stagnation is possible, then the size of the planting hole will be 2-3 times larger than the root spirea. After digging, the planting holes are filled with specially prepared substrate. Here is a description of the universal soil mixture:
- 1 part of clean river sand, preferably coarse-grained;
- 1 part neutral peat;
- 2 parts of turf or leaf soil;
- 1 part well-rotted manure.
The distance between Vangutta spirea bushes depends on the beginning of flowering and the purpose of planting. Spireas that bloom in summer are planted in group plantings at a distance of 0.5-0.7 meters from each other. When creating a hedge, plants are planted at a distance of 40-50 centimeters. When placed in 2 rows, the row spacing is 30-40 centimeters.
Spring-flowering varieties are placed more freely. To create a hedge, the distance between spirea is 0.7-1.0 meters. And when creating group plantings - 1.0-1.5 meters. A day before planting, the root spirea is soaked in a solution of growth stimulator and fungicide. When planting, a substrate is poured onto the bottom of the hole, a seedling is placed on it, and the roots are carefully straightened. Then the hole is filled with the remaining substrate, the soil is lightly compacted and water is spilled abundantly.
Care instructions
Spiraea is not an overly whimsical plant, but for active growth, spectacular and abundant flowering, it is necessary to provide the necessary care. It consists of watering, fertilizing and timely pruning, as well as preventive protection from diseases and pests.
Watering and soil care
Regular weeding, as well as superficial loosening of the soil, will facilitate access of oxygen to the roots, and will also improve the wetness of the soil during watering and the absorption of fertilizers when fertilizing. When mulching the root zone of spirea, there is no need for loosening and weeding. But it is important to monitor the thickness of the mulch; its layer should be at least 10 centimeters.
The plant does not tolerate stagnant water in the root area, so the gardener determines the frequency of watering himself, depending on the composition of the soil.But, basically, the bushes are watered generously 3-4 times a month, and even more often during periods of extreme heat. Care also involves generously spraying the crown, which has a beneficial effect on the growth of spirea.
Feeding and fertilizing the plant
With a planting hole of the required size, filled with a truly nutritious substrate, the spirea does not need to be fertilized at all for the first year. In subsequent years, one treatment per season will be sufficient - with complex phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. And, of course, mulching the tree trunk with organic matter, in particular, rotted manure.
Pruning Spiraea
For abundant, beautiful flowering, plants form a crown and also carry out sanitary cleaning. All diseased, dried out, old twigs, leaves and inflorescences are periodically removed. But for successful wintering, all pruning procedures are carried out before the onset of cold weather.
The number of prunings for decorative crown formation is 2-4 per season, depending on the growth energy. Spiraea tolerates pruning well. When pruning, the gardener must remember that spirea blooms on the shoots of the second year. And it is important not to overdo it; if necessary, you need to leave 1-2 strong buds on the shoot.
Diseases and pests
First of all, it is necessary to maintain the overall health of the plants. But if agricultural practices are not followed, spirea becomes more susceptible to diseases and pests. Damage by aphids, sawflies, and gall midges is possible. For prevention and direct control of them, spraying with a solution of insecticides is used - Aktara, Aktellik, Enzhio.
High humidity and acidification of the soil can provoke an outbreak of fungal diseases.To combat them, systemic fungicides are used - Infinito, Falcon or contact copper-containing preparations, such as Medyan Extra.
Reproduction of Spiraea
The shrub is propagated by cuttings, sowing seeds and rooting. Spiraea seeds germinate poorly; it is advisable to use only fresh seed. In the conditions of a summer house and garden plot, for propagation, it is preferable to dig up and root root shoots in pots.
Therefore, for mass production of seedlings, propagation by semi-lignified cuttings is used. To root cuttings, the following conditions must be met:
- the length of the cuttings is on average 15-20 centimeters;
- removing leaves 3/4 of the length of the cutting;
- soaking for a day in a solution of a growth stimulator or dusting the cut before planting;
- using a rooting substrate consisting of non-acidic peat and agroperlite;
- rooting cuttings in a mini greenhouse or greenhouse;
- regular spraying of cuttings or creating “fog”.
Landscape design
White color is always in demand in gardening. Beautiful, abundantly flowering spirea are used by designers when creating compositions, in mixes with conifers, barberries and other spectacular ornamental plants. Spiraea are also planted as single plants, plus they are indispensable when creating hedges and urban landscaping.
