Habitat

• a garden hybrid, the result of a cross between S. albiflora and S. japonica
• hardy to zone 3, some cultivars are hardier than others
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, Click Here.

Habit and Form

• a deciduous semievergreen shrub
• low growing shrub with a rounded shape
• thin branches give shrub a very dense appearance
• 2' to 3' tall and up to 5' wide
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple leaves with doubly serrated margins
• pointed leaf tips
• young leaves have a pinkish red color
• mature leaves are dark green
• 1" to 3" long
• leafs out early March

Autumn Foliage

• bronzy fall color
• somewhat showy

Flowers

• white to pink color flowers
• blooms early summer through August
• flower clusters are 4" to 6" corymbs
• flowers on new wood
• flowers are very abundant
• flowers form on end on main stems

Fruit

• dry, brown follicles
• hold through winter
• not ornamentally significant

Bark

• thin brown stems
• ridged
• somewhat glabrous
• buds are appressed and parallel to stem

Culture

• full sun to light shade
• prefers well-drained soil
• transplant from container for best results
• soil tolerant
• does not like wet sites
• prune after flowering and early spring

Landscape Use

• for showy flowers
• group or mass plantings
• for border
• for foundation plant

Liabilities

• suckers
• fireblight
• leaf spot
• powdery milder

ID Features

• pinkish flowers are stem tips
• brown follicles that is held through winter
• thin brown stems
• appressed buds that are parallel to stem
• doubly serrated leaf margins
• alternate leaf arrangement
• small mounded shape

Propagation

• by softwood cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Note: This plant is confused with Spiraea japonica, so it may be advisable to refer to the cultivar listings for this species if you are unable to locate a particular cultivar here.

'Anthony Waterer' - Unfortunately, plants marketed under this name exhibit widely divergent floral and foliar features, meaning that more than one plant is labeled with the same name. The real cultivar forms a 4' tall upright mound of dense stems that grows 5' wide or more. The summer blooms are deep red-pink and are organized into 4" wide flat-topped clusters. The blue-green leaves turn reddish in fall and are often marked by variable, irregular yellow variegation. 'Dart's Red' is a selected sport of this cultivar with deeper red-pink flowers that fade slightly with age.

'Coccinea' - This plant is similar overall to 'Anthony Waterer', but its deep reddish flowers are borne on a more compact-rounded shrub that grows 3' tall and wider.

'Crispa' - A form of 'Anthony Waterer', this plant is mainly unique for its more finely-textured leaves that are twisted and dissected. It also shows occasional foliar variegation. 'Dolchica' is similar, but apparently the plant does not produce random variegated foliage and grows smaller, to 3' tall and wide.

'Froebelii' - Similar to 'Anthony Waterer', but perhaps preferable due to its lack of irregular variegated shoots and good heat/drought tolerance. The flowers are bright pink, a color that is not as deep as 'Anthony Waterer'. The plant may also grow taller and bear slightly larger leaves. 'Dwarf Froebel' (also known as 'Gumball') is similar, but only grows to 3' tall and wider.

'Goldflame' (also listed as 'Gold Flame') - This is the most common yellow-leaved cultivar, bearing leaves that emerge bright orange-red in spring and gradually dull to yellow. In warm climates, the plant can appear green by mid-summer. It forms a low mound 3' tall and slightly wider, with light pink blooms that are inferior to those of green-leaved forns. This plant has become very popular, and its mass use can be jarring to the senses. Like other forms, it can produce variegated shoots, along with green-leaved reversions that need to be removed.

'Goldmound' (also listed as 'Gold Mound') - This plant is of different parentage than 'Goldflame' and appears to be a finer garden performer. It is most notable for its golden yellow foliage that does fade slightly in the summer, but always remains distinct from the green of other plants. It is very tolerant of sun, heat and drought and the foliage remains healthy through summer on established plants. The pink flowers of early summer are often an afterthought, though the fall color can be good.

'Limemound' - A more recent sport of 'Goldflame', this plant bears more subdued foliar coloration. The leaves emerge yellow-orange and age to lime green. By mid-summer, the plant can be very difficult to distinguish from 'Goldflame', though the plant reportedly exhibits better cold hardiness (to USDA zone 4). In other respects, the plants are similar.