Spiraea japonica
Japanese Spirea
Mature Size, Growth, Longevity
Extremely variable as a species and among the cultivars. Average mature size in a landscape setting is 4-5' tall and 5-7' wide. Becomes a dense, upright, mounded shrub. Moderate growth rate.
Native Range
Species native to Japan, Korea and parts of China, north to the Himalayas.
Flower and Fruit Details
Tiny pink flowers in flat-topped corymbs in June and July. The normal flower color of the species is rosy pink to carmine, rarely white, in inflorescences sometimes quite large. Mild fragrance. Flowers attract butterflies. Dry brown follicles persist through winter: not ornamental.
Leaf and Bark Features
Deciduous: Leaves alternately arranged, simple, ovate to ovate-oblong, 1-3" long and 0.33-1.5" wide, with distinct sharp serrations. Lustrous dark green on top, glaucescent beneath, usually pubescent on the veins, on a short, 0.12-0.2" petiole. Fall color not ornamentally important.
Culture and Care
Full sun to light shade; well-drained soil. Zones 4-8. Prune in early spring before growth, then after flowering remove spent flowers induce new growth and possibly additional flowers. Light tip shearing to remove faded flower clusters will promote additional bloom. Prune back in early March if needed to reduce size or rejuvenate. No commonly occurring serious insect or disease problems, but may be susceptible to fireblight, leaf spot, and powdery mildew.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts
Considered a low-maintenance plant. Tolerates deer, erosion, clay soil, and air pollution. Some repeat blooming may occur later in the summer. 3-season interest: Spring, summer and fall. This species has been noted escaping cultivation and becoming borderline invasive in parts of the US. May spread by seed or suckering.
Suggested Uses
Used as a specimen plant, or in rock gardens or group plantings, or along paths and walkways. This species, or more commonly, its smaller cultivars, are used as foundation plants.
Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA
The following taxa are (or were) represented in the collections at Boone County Arboretum. Additional taxa may be available in the trade that are not included here.
Spiraea japonica 'Alpina' // Alpine Japanese Spirea
Shrub. Showy pink, May/June/July flowers contrast well with small bluish-green, finely textured leaves. Grows to 12-30" tall and 3 to 6' wide. Can be used as a cascade over walls or as a ground cover. Retains old seed heads and can look ragged in late summer. Drought tolerant. Formerly listed as var. alpina, was first documented in Japan in 1879, and plants currently in cultivation are probably of garden origin; does not come true from seed. Occasionally listed as 'Nana' and is probably same as 'Nyewoods'. Forms a fine-textured shrub with 1/2-1" leaves. May develop iron chlorosis at high soil pH. Needs full sun.
-- not currently in our collection --Spiraea japonica 'Anthony Waterer' // Anthony Waterer Japanese Spirea
Shrub. Grows to 2-4' tall and 3-5' wide. Flowers are carmine-pink to sometimes crimson-red, in 4-6" wide, flat-topped flower clusters (corymbs), late May to June, sporadically into August. Red-purple new foliage, then blue-green. Reddish fall color. Fast growing. This cultivar is from the first cross of S. albiflora x S. japonica (the hybrid is often listed as S. x bumalda). The hybrid is not stable, and many of its cultivars will have great variation of leaf and flower characteristics. Branch sports in 'Anthony Waterer' often result in some variegated green and yellow leaves. Richly polished stems add some winter interest. Zones 4-8. Needs full sun. Used as a hedge. Good powdery mildew resistance. No pests.
-- not currently in our collection --Spiraea japonica 'Crispa' // Crispa Bumald Spirea
Shrub. Yellow-green variegated, slightly twisted and deeply cut leaves make for a slightly finer-textured appearance. Otherwise, very similar to 'Anthony Waterer'. Bright pink-red flowers. Fast growing. 3-4' tall and 4-5' wide. Compact growth habit. Tolerant of most soil types other than extremely wet. Develops chlorosis in alkaline soils. Zones 3-8. Susceptible to powdery mildew. Coppery-bronze fall color. This cultivar is from a cross of S. albiflora x S. japonica (the hybrid is often listed as S. x bumalda). The hybrid is not stable, and will have great variation of characteristics, including the degree of yellow variegation in the leaves.
Bed 108Spiraea japonica 'Dolchica' // Dolchica Spirea
Shrub. Fast growing to 1.5-3' tall and 2-4' wide, with elongated, crinkled leaves of a fine, frilly, deeply cutleaf texture. Leaves emerge deep purple-red to bronzy-purple, with little to no variegation. Leaves mature to green, changing to bronze or red in the fall. This cultivar is from a cross of S. albiflora x S. japonica (the hybrid is often listed as S. x bumalda). Blooms June-September. Showy pink to purplish-pink flowers are borne in 4-6" diameter, flat clusters (corymbs). Makes a good hedge or cut flower. Zones 5-9. Seems to attract aphids more than other cultivars.
-- not currently in our collection --Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' // Goldflame Bumald Spirea
Shrub. Leaves emerge russet-orange to bronze-red, appearing to be on fire. They change to soft yellow, yellow-green, and finally green, and often repeat the spring colors in the fall. For best foliage effect, remove spring stems with pure green foliage. The hybrid is not stable, so plants have variation of characteristics, perhaps depending on the climate. Grown primarily for its colorful and variegated foliage; the flowers are smaller and less attractive than similar cultivars of Japanese Spirea. Leaves hold late into the fall. Grows 2-3' tall and 3-4' wide. Leaf spot and mildew may be a problem. Excellent tolerance to high heat. Zones 4-8. This cultivar is from a cross of S. albiflora x S. japonica (the hybrid is often listed as S. x bumalda).
Bed 107Spiraea japonica 'Goldmound' // Goldmound Japanese Spirea
Shrub. Low mounded form, 2-3' tall and 3-4' wide, with golden leaves throughout the growing season, and pink to lavender-pink flowers in May/June/July. Golden leaf color of spring fades to a yellow-green in the heat of summer. Develops reasonable yellow/orangish-red fall color. Needs part to full sun. Good heat and drought tolerance. Some problems with leaf spot fungus possible in wet years. This cultivar is from a cross of S. japonica var. alpina and S. x bumalda 'Goldflame' (S. x bumalda is itself a hybrid of S. albiflora x S. japonica). Good for a hedge, border, cutting garden, or woodland garden.
Bed 107Spiraea japonica 'Limemound' // Limemound Bumald Spirea
Shrub. New foliage lemon-yellow with a russet tinge, becoming lime-green when they mature. Autumn foliage is orange-red on reddish stems. Uniform dwarf mounded outline, with dense, slender branches, maturing to 2-3' tall and 3-4' wide. Habit is dense, upright, flat-topped to mounded and compact. Zones 3-8, but loses yellow color in Zones 7 and 8. This cultivar was a branch sport of 'Goldflame' introduced from Monrovia Nursery in California. Looks very similar to 'Goldmound'. Pink flowers bloom May-July. Good fall color. Good for hedges, specimen, group plantings or rock gardens. Works well in foundation plantings, mass plantings, or as a low hedge along a walk or path.
Bed 108Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess' // Little Princess Japanese Spirea
Shrub. Faster growing with larger, mint-green leaves (to 1" long) and deeper pink flowers than S.j. var. alpina. One of several closely related cultivars from Holland. Zones 4-8. Fall color is yellow/copper, sometimes reddish. Has a dense, upright-rounded to compact, mounded habit, usually about 18-24" tall and 24-36" wide, but can grow to over 30" tall, and up to 6' wide. May be susceptible to fungal leaf spot in wet years. Blooms May-July. Good specimen plant, foundation plant, low hedge plant, or in rock gardens, group plantings, for massing, shrub border, or along paths and walkways. May also be used in the cutting garden or cottage garden, or even in containers.
Bed 107Spiraea japonica 'Mertyann' // Dakota Goldcharm® Spirea
Shrub. Introduced by North Dakota State University. This cultivar arose from an open-pollinated-produced seed of 'Little Princess'. Supposedly a very dwarf plant to only 15", but has grown to 30" tall and 36" wide. Yellow foliage, mounded habit, with bronze/gold new shoots and leaves that are sometimes red-tipped, turning yellow. May not hold its yellow foliage color through the summer as well as 'Goldmound'. Pinkish-red/russet fall color. Pink flowers are produced in 2-3 inch, flattened clusters. Zones 3-8. Grows well in about any soil. Good in foundation plantings, shrub borders and rock gardens.
-- not currently in our collection --Spiraea japonica 'Neon Flash' // Neon Flash Japanese Spirea
Shrub. Reddish new growth, with leaves changing to dark green at maturity, with no branch reversions. Rich neon-red to reddish-pink, dark pink or hot pink, lavender-pink to pinkish-purple flowers from late spring through fall. Grows quickly to 3' tall and wide. Resembles 'Anthony Waterer'. Introduced by Brookside Gardens of Maryland into the U.S. from Japan. The 5", lance-shaped green leaves of summer turn dark burgundy-red in the fall. Makes a good low hedge or mass planting. Also used as a cottage garden plant, in borders, containers, or cutting gardens. It grows well in most soil types. Zones 4-8.
Bed 104Spiraea japonica 'Tracy' // Double Play® Big Bang Spirea
Shrub. New spring foliage is orange as it emerges, changing to deep yellow all summer, then rich golden-orange in the fall. Extremely large, reblooming, pink flower clusters. A light shearing of the spent flowers will promote additional blooming. Easy to care for. Works well in shrub borders, perennial beds or in mass plantings. Needs full sun to mostly sun. Zones 4-9. Gets 2-3' tall and wide. Compact, mounded/rounded habit. Could be used in a cottage garden, in containers and in cutting gardens. Adaptable to most soils. Discovered and selected in 2005 in Michigan. Patented in 2010. Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and pollinators.
Bed 109Spiraea japonica 'Walbuma' // Magic Carpet® Bumald Spirea
Shrub. Very similar to 'Goldflame' but smaller, only 10-24" tall in youth, but eventually reaching a size of up to 30" tall and 24-40" wide. Has a neat, compact, mounded habit. Can be used as ground cover, or in rock gardens, border or container. Prune in March. Shear off spent flowers to promote rebloom. This cultivar is from a seedling of 'Goldflame', introduced in 1994 from England, where it is extremely popular and highly rated. This cultivar is more genetically stable than most S. japonica cultivars. Orange-red to reddish purple young shoots and leaves, yellow-gold at maturity, with reddish to pink flowers. May lose some of the yellow foliage color in the extreme heat of the South. Russet-red fall color. Zones 3(4)-8. Good in a cottage garden, or cut.
-- not currently in our collection --Spiraea japonica 'Yan' // Double Play® Gold Spirea
Shrub. Foliage is a vibrant, pure golden color, and flowers are pure pink/hot pink color. The attractive, golden-yellow foliage maintains its good color throughout the growing season. Habit is dwarf, compact and low-mounded, only 16-24" high and 2-3' wide. Flowers bloom heavily from late spring to mid-summer, then may rebloom until frost, especially if a light shearing is done to remove spent flowers. Zones 4-8. Needs full sun. Tolerates deer and air pollution. A "Proven Winners" selection. Makes a good low-maintenance hedge, specimen, foundation plant, rock garden plant, or in containers (as a "thriller"), borders, cutting gardens, or in a mass or group planting. Brighter yellow foliage than most.
Bed 109