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Lush, low shrub, covered with small white flowers - this is oak-leaved spirea. Plants are used for decorative purposes for arranging park areas and personal plots. Spirea is an unpretentious plant, therefore it is quite widespread, even in the northern regions.
Description of oak-leaved spirea
The name of the oak-leaved spirea is written in Latin as Spiraeachamaedryfolia. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the middle zone of Russia. Nowadays, the shrub is rarely found in the wild. It is mainly grown for landscaping and landscaping.
The description of the oak-leaved spirea should begin with a photo demonstration. It is known that the shrub reaches 2 m in height. It has long branches drooping to the ground. During flowering, they acquire a beautiful bend. The crown of the shrub is quite lush, has a rounded shape.
Flowers are small, white, collected in lush inflorescences of 20 pieces each. Spirea pleases with flowering from early May to the end of the month, on average about 25 days. Spirea leaf is oak-leaved oblong, serrated, dark green above, gray below. It reaches 4–4.5 cm in length.
A lush bush can reach 2 m in diameter.
Planting and caring for oak-leaved spirea
On well-fertilized soils, this culture grows and develops better. Also, the plant needs to highlight the sunny side of the site where it will grow.
Preparation of planting material and site
It is important to fertilize the land for planting with humus, peat or river sand. The place is chosen sunny, bright, light partial shade is possible. The darker the side, the fewer colors will form on the spire.
The soil for planting must be thoroughly loosened and slightly moistened. This culture does not tolerate abundant watering, as does the presence of lime in the soil.
Before planting, seedlings are soaked in water to avoid excessive dryness of the root. For planting in open ground, plants with a well-developed root system are chosen.
Landing rules
When planting young plants in open ground, they follow certain rules and take into account the characteristics of the plant. Spirea oak-leaved does not like shaded places with drafts.
Planting is carried out in the spring-autumn period as follows:
- Dig a hole no deeper than half a meter.
- Drainage is laid at the bottom: pebbles, gravel or expanded clay.
- Before planting, the rhizome of the seedling must be soaked in water for 1 hour.
- The seedling is lowered vertically into the hole and covered with fluffed earth, not higher than the level of the root collar.
- The soil around the trunk is slightly trampled. After the bush is watered abundantly. A bucket of water will suffice. Then the soil around the trunk is sprinkled with peat.
Watering and feeding
On rainy days, the oak-leaved spirea does not need watering. In summer, in drought, the bush is watered 2 times a month. The amount of water for one irrigation is 12-14 liters. After watering, the soil must be loosened and mulched. Stagnation of moisture at the rhizome should not be allowed. In the process of loosening, care must be taken not to damage the roots located close to the ground.
In spring and summer, it is necessary to feed the plant, but no more than 2 times.For the first time, oak-leaved spirea can be fertilized with universal mineral additives, then with a mullein solution.
Pruning
To preserve the beautiful shape of the crown of the spirea, to protect it from pests and fungal diseases, it is important to prune in time. Do this in the summer after the bush has faded. The procedure is carried out annually. Pruning begins by cutting off dry, broken branches. Then too long and old processes are shortened. Leave branches about a quarter of a meter long.
This can stimulate the growth of side shoots, the crown will lose its shape, the bush will stop blooming.
Preparing for winter
Oak-leaved spirea tolerates winters well in central Russia. But, if, according to forecasts, they promise a cold, or the culture is grown in the northern regions of the country, it is necessary to wrap up the oak-leaved spirea. Only the rhizome is insulated. To do this, the soil around the trunk is covered with a spruce forest, large pieces of bark, and fallen leaves.
Reproduction
Oakleaf spiraea propagates by seeds and shoots. For sowing seeds, prepare boxes filled with a mixture of soil and humus. The soil is well plowed and the seeds are evenly spread at a sufficient distance from each other, at least 5 cm. After the planting material is covered with peat. The layer should not be thicker than 1 cm. Sowing in boxes is carried out in early spring.
After about 7-14 days, the first shoots of oak-leaved spirea will appear. It is important during this period to disinfect them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After 2 months, the grown plants can be transplanted into open ground. A shaded place is chosen for the garden. Young seedlings need regular watering. The annual growth of oak-leaved spirea in the first season after planting will not exceed 10 cm. The next year, the growth of the plant will accelerate.
Also, a young oak-leaved spirea plant can be obtained by rooting shoots. For this, the longest and strongest process is chosen. Gently tilt it to the ground and fix it. The place of contact between the branch and the ground is sprinkled with soil. The free end of the shoot is directed upward and tied to a support.
In the warm season, watering of the mother bush and layering is carried out. Rooting of the shoot will occur this year before the onset of autumn, but it will be possible to separate it from the mother bush of the oak-leaved spirea only next year. The first color on the cut must be cut off. So the seedling will develop better.
It is possible to propagate oak-leaved spirea by cuttings. They are cut from branches with a dense bark formed. Each stalk should not be longer than 10 cm. The cut is treated with a product for better formation and development of the root system.
For planting cuttings, prepare plastic or wooden boxes and fill them with earth from the garden, loosen it well. After about a couple of months, half of the cuttings should develop a root. In the spring, these seedlings can be transferred to garden beds.
Diseases and pests
Oakleaf spiraea is often attacked by the most common pests of horticultural crops: aphids, leafworms, spider mites. Insects inflict particular harm to the plant from June to August.
Spider mite females are even able to overwinter in the leaves of a plant, and in the summer to lay eggs and breed offspring. In case of a spider mite disease, you can observe leaves rolled into a tube, a cobweb on the branches. Later, the foliage begins to dry out and crumble.
As a preventive measure, it is important to carry out autumn pruning in order to remove pests with branches and not give them a chance to overwinter. Cut off shoots and branches are carried outside the garden area. They are then burned or dipped into a compost pit.
To avoid fungal diseases of the rhizome, the soil around the spirea is regularly fluffed. This prevents stagnation of moisture and the formation of fungi.
Conclusion
Oakleaf spiraea is a beautiful flowering ornamental plant that is successfully used in landscape design. The bush looks good against the background of deciduous and coniferous trees. With the help of a spirea, you can create a lush, snow-white hedge or a fence for a flower bed.
