| Description | An improved version of the old standby Anthony Waterer Spirea. I think it has some of the dark pink flowers of these types of Spireas. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (spy-REE-a) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Shrubs Deciduous |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-8 |
| Sunlight | prefers full sun, tolerates some shade but flower production is reduced |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | flat topped deep rose red to red flowers |
| Leaves | The new growth is reddish turning to dark green. Seems to be no variegation in this shrub. |
| Dimensions | 3-4 feet tall by equal spread |
| Maintenance | All of the Spirea x bumalda and japonica group needs to be pruned back on a yearly or every other year cycle. If not they will become scraggly, and flower production will decrease. There are two good methods of pruning these. First is cutting the shrub flush with the ground. This is a good no brainier method and the plant will quickly recover with fresh, new growth. This method will set the flowering back, since the shrub has to totally regrow. Another method is using pruning shears, cut the shrub back about ½ in a shape that will resemble the natural form of the shrub and remove the old gnarly stems from the shrub. Flowering isn’t delayed as long as in the previous method. The earlier in the spring this is done, the sooner the plant will flower. One of my clients has me prune back these shrubs each year, since she likes the fresh, new growth of the shrub. Removal of the dead flower heads can result in a minor rebloom |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Cultivar Origin | Introduced by Brookside gardens, Wheaton, Md (USA) to the United States from Japan. |
| Author's Notes | I have used this shrub in dozens of landscapes and the color and number of flowers is a definite improvement over older cultivars. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr) |
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