| Description | Curly Leaf Spirea (Spiraea japonica) is a small shrub with light pink flowers and wavy leaves. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (spy-REE-ah) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 3-8 |
| Sunlight | full sun, will tolerate some shade, but flower production will decrease |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | doesn't like soils with a high ph |
| Flowers | light pink, flat topped inflorescence, June |
| Leaves | One of the more interesting features of this plant is its slightly twisted, deeply incised foliage. In years the plants in my yard have had a vivid golden yellow fall color. In other years the fall color was less than spectacular. |
| Dimensions | 3-3 1/2 feet high by 4-5 foot spread, space 3-4 feet on center |
| Maintenance | Most all of the Spirea x bumalda and japonica group needs to be pruned back on a 1-3 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 a few inches from 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 re bloom. |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Misc Facts | (syn Spirea japonica Crispa, Spirea Crispa) |
| Author's Notes | I have grown this plant for a few years. The feature I really like is the twisted foliage. This adds another season of interest to the plant. After one of the coldest winters we experience in many decades the Spirea Crispa in my hard had one of the best blooms I have seen. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens web site (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org) |
Cart
