Among summer residents and gardeners, decorative shrubs decorating the plots with greenery and beautiful flowering are popular. One of these plants is Shirobana Spiraea. It is about her that the conversation will go in our article.
Where is the culture used?
Shiroban Spirea is actively used for group plantings and as hedges. Dwarf varieties are great for rockeries, living carpets, rocky gardens.
But also as a single spirea plant, it looks very beautiful in areas.
There are many varieties of culture that have different flowering periods. The popularity of the plant is associated not only with the beauty of its flowers, but also with its unpretentiousness. In addition, spirea seedlings are inexpensive, which means everyone can buy them for themselves. Having your own plant on the site, in the future you can easily grow seedlings yourself. Spirea Shirobana is good for landscape design. From plants you can create decorative borders and whole compositions that will decorate your personal plot. Spirea is an excellent material for cutting, the plant can be given a variety of forms. But, unfortunately, it will not bloom. In general, Shiroban spiraea is a universal plant that can decorate a summer cottage.
Plant advantages
Spirea is an ornamental shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family. The main advantage of the plant is its unpretentiousness. In total, there are about one hundred varieties and varieties of spirea. Most of them feel great in central Russia. Bushes belong to drought-resistant and frost-resistant crops, which grow very quickly and decorate personal plots for a long time, without losing their decorative effect for decades.
Deciduous plant is incredibly beautiful, it has a fairly long flowering period. It is thanks to the beautiful flowers that the spirea has gained popularity among gardeners. A plant can become an ornament of any park and garden, filling the area with beauty and tenderness.
Culture is of interest because it has an incredible number of varieties and interspecific hybrids, each of which is good in its own way. One of the varieties is Shiroban spirea. A description of the variety will be given later in the article. Spirea are so diverse that among them there are dwarf plants and luxurious giants, whose height reaches two meters. Bushes can have a variety of shapes: cascading, pyramidal, weeping, creeping, etc.
The plant pleases flowering for up to two months, and sometimes a longer period. Some begin to bloom in early spring, while others in summer. If you approach the issue of selection of varieties correctly, then you can admire beautiful flowers from early spring to autumn.
Description of Shirobana Spirea
As we have already mentioned, among numerous varieties there is Japanese spirea Genpei. This is Shiroban's spirea. Ornamental shrub is a low plant, flowering in the summer. Its height is 80 centimeters, and the diameter of the crown is 1.2 meters. The bush has felt-pubescent shoots of brown color, the length of which is about two centimeters. The branches of the plant are densely covered with ovoid leaves. In Shiroban spirea, small leaves on top are painted in dark green, and the lower part has a bluish tint. In autumn, the green changes its color to yellow, and sometimes to bright red. The height of the Shiroban spirea is 80 centimeters, and the crown diameter is 1.2 meters.
Japanese spirea is somewhat reminiscent of a chameleon. At the same time on the bush there may be flowers of red, white and pink. Flowering of this variety can be observed throughout the summer until the onset of autumn. The plant, covered with flowers of two or three shades, has a stunning look. In order to preserve this appearance of the shrub for a long time, it is necessary to remove wilted inflorescences. Flowering ends on the young shoots of this year. Next season, the flowers reappear on young branches, and the old ones dry up.
The plant prefers sunny areas with light soil. This culture gained wide popularity in China and Japan, which is why it is sometimes called Japanese spirea.
Growing Features
Despite the unpretentiousness of the culture, it is still worth knowing all the nuances of spire. Planting and care (photo is given in the article) for the bushes are not difficult, and therefore even beginner gardeners can do it. Experienced experts recommend using soil consisting of earth, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1 for planting.
First you need to choose a good place for the plant, after which you need to dig a hole. Its size should be one third larger than the rhizomes of the seedling. At the bottom, it is definitely worth placing drainage from fragments of broken brick.
The plant is planted to a depth of not less than half a meter. You can’t fill the bush too much with earth. The plant’s neck should remain above the ground. Of course, the best period for planting is considered the beginning of autumn. Especially good if you choose a cloudy day. Spirea can be planted next to other cultures, for example, it feels great next to spruce, juniper and arborvitae.
As we can see, planting spirea and caring for it (photo is given in the article) for it is a simple matter, but it is still worthwhile to provide the plant with minimal care in order to get abundant flowering.
Planting spirea
In order for the flowering of spirea to please us, for its planting, you should choose sunny places, since the plant is light-loving. Lush shrub can only be obtained on good rich soils. For planting, you must dig a hole at least half a meter deep. When choosing a place for planting, it is worth remembering that the root shoots of the culture occupy a sufficient area. If you are planning a group planting of plants, then the distance between them should be 0.7 meters. For bushes in the same row, a distance of 0.5 meters is sufficient.
A pit for planting a seedling should be prepared in advance, it is good if it stands for several days. But the drainage layer is laid directly on the day of planting. A good effect is provided by complex fertilizer applied directly into the pit. A tablespoon of granules will provide the plant with the necessary nutrition for three years. When all the preparatory stages are completed, you can proceed to the planting of spirea. To do this, lower the seedling into the pit, straighten the roots and fill it with the prepared mixture. The landing site must be carefully compacted, and then pour two buckets of water under the bush. It is recommended to mulch the hole of the plant with peat.
How to choose a good seedling?
The cultivation of Shiroban spiraea is not particularly difficult, but you need to choose a quality plant for planting. Sapling roots should not be dry and damaged. You can only buy a plant whose shoots are flexible and have good buds.
Immediately before planting a seedling, the roots should be thinned out, removing the broken parts, put in water for a while. Only after that the plant can be planted on the site.
Crop care
As we have already mentioned, spirea is completely unpretentious. Therefore, the care of the plant is quite simple. Saplings perfectly take root and grow well in the future, no matter what climatic conditions they may be in. Spirea can be seen throughout Russia. However, the main value of the plant is its flowering. What should be done to get beautiful flowers?
Care of the crop consists in obligatory timely loosening of the soil near a young plant, since the soil is very compacted as a result of rain and watering. In addition, gardeners recommend mulching trunks after loosening. For these purposes, you can use peat, compost or walnut husk.
Do not forget about the regular weeding of weeds. If you did not apply complex fertilizer during planting, then in early spring it is worth feeding the plant. Young bushes respond well to mullein with superphosphate. This top dressing is made in June.
Plants need their proper preparation for the winter period. Despite the fact that the culture is resistant to frost, it is recommended to cover the root zone with a thick layer of leaves, since we often have snowless but frosty weather. Such a precaution will not harm any plant.
Watering spirea
The roots of the plant are located close to the surface of the earth, so the bushes do not tolerate drought. The lack of moisture negatively affects the growth rate and flowering. Watering Shiroban spiraea should be moderate. If the summer was dry, then the bush should be watered twice a month. A bucket of water is enough to moisten the soil of one young plant. In a hotter climate, water the plant more often.
Moisture is needed for spirea after flowering and pruning. In such periods, you need to carefully water the plant. Young bushes need more frequent hydration than old bushes.
Proper crop pruning
When organizing proper care, it is worth remembering the pruning of Shiroban spirea in the spring, which allows you to preserve the beautiful appearance and shape of the bush. Absolutely all varieties of culture, including the famous Janpei, tolerate a haircut. However, it is worthwhile to understand how to prune properly, since the flowering of a plant depends on this.
Such a simple procedure allows you to give the desired shape to the plant or to trim too large a bush. But do not forget about the mandatory annual pruning in early spring. Such a simple sanitary procedure is carried out before the appearance of foliage. Shoots cut to the kidneys. Weak and lifeless branches are removed completely.
Do not be afraid to damage the bush. The more old shoots you remove, the more new ones will grow. Young growth will make the plant strong and beautiful. Four years after planting, the bushes need an annual anti-aging pruning. At the same time, the plant is radically cut, leaving shoots no more than thirty centimeters. If after such a procedure the bush does not recover and remains weak and ugly, then it is recommended to replace it with a new one.
Perhaps such measures will seem too harsh to someone. But in fact, cutting plants is justified. If it is not done on time, then the bush will not be able to maintain an attractive rounded shape. And after a while, it will lose its appearance altogether, as the heavy old shoots begin to sink to the ground.
Pruning must be accompanied by irrigation with a solution of manure with superphosphate (fertilizer put at the rate of 10 grams per 10 liters of water). The mixture is poured under the roots of the bush.
Culture propagation
Reproduction of Shiroban spirea is carried out in the following ways:
- Layering.
- Cuttings.
- By dividing the bush.
- The seeds.
Propagation by seeds is a rather difficult task. Only breeders use this method to get the latest varieties. To do this, the seeds are collected in the fall, and then at a certain time they are sown in boxes with a mixture for germination. The resulting sprouts are planted in the spring in the open ground.
A simpler and more effective way is cuttings. With its help, you can get a large number of seedlings even without the use of growth stimulants. To do this, choose an annual shoot and divide it into parts, each of them should have no more than six leaves. Excess greens are removed. The resulting cuttings are dipped in a solution of "Epina" for six hours. The mixture is prepared at the rate of 1 ml of product per liter of water. The lower part of the handle is recommended to be treated with "Kornevin." Then they are planted in wet sand in pots at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Top covered with glass and left in the shade. Seedlings should be sprayed three times a day.
When the first frosts occur, the pots are dug in the open ground and covered with leaves from above. Saplings remain on the street until spring. In the spring, when the first shoots appear on the cuttings, they are planted in a permanent place.
Good results are obtained by the method of propagation by layering. Saplings obtained in this way take root well. To obtain a young plant, it is necessary to bend one twig to the ground and sprinkle it on top with soil. After a while, the seedling will release the roots. After this, the twig needs to be cut off from the main plant and plant a young bush in a new place.
Japanese Spirea Jenpei (Shirobana) is also propagated by dividing the bush. In this way, you can use the autumn or early spring. If you want to divide the plant in the spring, then you need to have time to do this before the first greens appear. The advantage of this method is the rapid growth of daughter plants. However, the method has a drawback. In the process of division, the roots can be damaged. To neutralize the negative consequences of this process, you can soak the seedlings in a fungicide solution.
Diseases and Pests
Spirea, unfortunately, is prone to attack by some pests. In order to avoid such troubles, preventive measures should be taken to preserve the decorativeness of the culture.
The most dangerous pest for spirea is the spider mite. Its presence can be determined by the appearance of cobwebs, holes on the foliage, non-seasonal yellowing or decay of greenery and inflorescences. The diseased shrub takes on an unsightly appearance. The fight against ticks must begin when the first signs appear. There are a variety of means for this. Among them, carbophos and phosphamide have proven themselves, with solutions of which the whole plant is sprayed.
Spiraea is often attacked by aphids, which spoil peduncles. The appearance of such a pest can be determined by the presence of caterpillars and eaten foliage. To combat aphids, it is recommended to use prophylactic agents, among which chemical and natural substances are relevant. Pests really dislike Pirimore.
Neighbors for Spirea
As we have already mentioned, very often an ornamental plant such as Japanese spirea (Shirobana) is used to decorate parks and gardens. In landscape design, bushes are simply indispensable for creating beautiful flowering compositions. The culture is good in that it is perfectly adjacent to other plants, which is very important for large group plantings. Properly selected plants will be able to delight with the decorativeness and colors of the owners from spring to late autumn.
There are a fairly large number of cultures that can be placed next to Shiroban spiraea. Reviews on the use of plants for group plantings gives reason to recommend it for creating beautiful compositions. In near-stem spirea circles, you can plant a shade of saxifrage, a periwinkle, a multicolor medunica, cerastium, which form a colored carpet near the bush.
Unique compositions can be created from several varieties of bulb plants, which are the main decoration of the spring period. They look great near the bush. Muskariki, all kinds of tulips and daffodils and many other plants are good neighbors for spirea. When choosing crops for the composition, it is worth remembering that the color of the flowers should be in harmony in the total mass of the created masterpiece.
Instead of an afterword
Japanese Spirea is the undisputed leader in landscape design. No wonder it has become so popular in China and Japan. Living hedges and curbs from spirea no longer surprise anyone, but planting crops on the slopes instead of trivial lawns can be considered a novelty.
Absolutely all varieties of this plant are excellent honey plants, so they can be planted near the hives. Spirea is even used to create bouquets. And, of course, its most important purpose is to decorate the garden and create a special atmosphere.