Common Name: Japanese spirea
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Native Range: China, Japan
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Erosion, Clay Soil, Air Pollution
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils. Prefers rich, moist loams. Remove faded flower clusters as practicable (light shearing is an option) to encourage additional bloom. Flowers on new wood, so prune in late winter to early spring if needed. Plants can be aggressive self-seeders, and have escaped gardens and naturalized in many areas of the eastern U.S. Plants will also spread in the garden by suckering.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Spiraea japonica, commonly called Japanese spirea, is a dense, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub that typically grows 4-6’ tall with a slightly larger spread. Leaves (to 3” long) are oval and sharply-toothed. Tiny pink flowers in flat-topped clusters (corymbs) cover the foliage from late spring to mid-summer, with sparse and intermittent repeat bloom sometimes occurring. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.
Var. albiflora has white flowers.
Genus name comes from the Greek word speira meaning wreath in reference to the showy flower clusters seen on most shrubs in the genus.
Specific epithet means of Japan, which is part of its native range.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to many of the diseases and insects that attack other members of the rose family, including leaf spots, fireblight, powdery mildew, rots, aphids, leaf roller and scale.
Uses
Effective in borders, cottage gardens, hedges or foundation plantings.