Description | Limemound Spirea (Spiraea japonica) is a small mounding shrub with bright lime yellow foliage in the spring. |
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Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations |
Hardiness Zone | 4-8 |
Sunlight | full |
Moisture | average |
Soil & Site | average |
Flowers | flat top pink flowers |
Leaves | bright yellow foliage in spring, maturing to yellow green, coppery orange in the fall |
Dimensions | 3-4 feet by 3-4 feet |
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 | softwood cuttings |
Misc Facts | A branch sport of Goldflame Spirea introduced by Monrovia Nursery. |
Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Monrovia Nursery web site |