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Ornamental plants are increasingly becoming not only guests of parks and city streets, but also settling in summer cottages, near residential private houses. A wide variety of plants and shrubs are used for full-fledged landscaping. Photos and descriptions of the Wangutta spirea conquer with their beauty and attract lovers of ornamental plants to plant such beauty on their site.
Description of spirea Wangutta
A beautiful shrub of snow-white flowers, which looks like a waterfall, will undoubtedly gain a huge number of fans. More and more landscape design lovers are decorating their sites with this plant. A distinctive feature of the shrub is that it grows very quickly. This allows you to give the site a beautiful appearance in a short time. Already during the first year, you can observe a sprawling shrub with white flowers, which cover the plant like a hat. Sometimes green leaves are not visible at all during flowering, and the white cap completely covers the shrub. Therefore, it is popularly called "May snow".
There is another name for this plant - meadowsweet. The shrub is better known under this name in Russia. The cultivated plant has been considered since 1868.
The height of the shrub is about 2 meters, the branches in the form of an arc bend to the ground. The leaves of the spirea are obovate with teeth at the edges. The length of the leaf is about 3.5 cm. The top of the leaf has a dark green color, and from the inside it is dull green.
Height and diameter of the crown of the Wangutta spirea
The diameter of the crown of the luxurious shrub, as well as its height, reaches two meters. The shape of the crown is spreading, cascading. The shrub from the side resembles a white, cascading waterfall with delicate white flowers. Some varieties can grow to a height of 3 meters, but these varieties are usually erect.
Flowering spirea Wangutta
The most beautiful shrub during the flowering period. With proper care and adherence to agricultural technology, an ornamental plant can bloom twice a year. The first bloom lasts several weeks and starts from mid June to early July. Early varieties begin to bloom in May.
The second bloom is possible in August. But this flowering does not differ in splendor, since the bush does not have so much strength, but in any case it turns out very beautifully. White flowers of the shrub are located along the entire length of the shoot and are collected in inflorescences that resemble halves of balls. From a distance, this ornamental plant appears completely white during flowering.
What is the difference between spirea Grefsheim and Wangutta
Several varieties of decorative spirea are known, each of which is known for its benefits.
Spirea Wangutta, in contrast to the gray spirea hybrid called Grefsheim, is a taller plant. Gray spirea Grafsheim has flowers up to 1 cm in diameter and with a yellow center. This variety begins to bloom earlier than Wangutta.
Differences between Wangutta spirea and sulfur spirea
Gray spirea got its name from the ash-colored leaves. From the side, the shrub looks ash gray. The leaves are pointed. The inflorescences of the gray variety are not spherical, but corymbose. They are also located along the entire length of the shoot. They are used more often when making bouquets. It is considered a winter-hardy variety and does not propagate by seeds, since it is a hybrid. The gray variety reproduces only by layering and one-year-old cuttings. And it is also possible to divide the shrub during transplantation.
Spirea Wangutta in landscape design
Spirea Wangutta is often used not only by professionals in landscape design, but also by novice amateurs. There are several options for using sprawling shrubs to decorate your garden and area around the house.
The most common use of the Wangutta spirea is as a hedge. Such a hedge will not allow too curious neighbors to see too much and will decorate the site, giving it a chic, rich look.
There are other ways to use the shrub for decoration:
- instead of a weeping willow in the presence of an artificial reservoir;
- hedge around the front of the house;
- as a single bush against a green lawn;
- as a combination with other ornamental plants; goes well with conifers such as juniper, thuja, yew and spruce.
When used next to a pond, a spirea bush looks great next to stones and artificial decorations. And also a shrub surrounded by various flowers looks great.
If you combine a spreading shrub next to a tall tree, the composition will look luxurious.
In large areas, the so-called single shrubs have long been used, when the spirea is planted on the lawn far from each other. It turns out beautifully and monumental. Some varieties of spirea are excellently used in cascading compositions, since the crown itself resembles a falling line.
Spirea varieties Wangutta
Spirea Wangutta in landscape design in the photo looks completely different, depending on the variety. More than a dozen varieties are known in total. They differ in size, lifespan, timing and flowering frequency. Each amateur chooses for himself the variety that is most suitable for a particular site.
Spirea Wangutta Gold Fontaine
The peculiarity of this shrub is spreading branches with yellow-green leaves. In autumn, the foliage becomes completely yellow, and the area with shrubs becomes colorful. This shrub grows well with sufficient sun. Only light shade for a short time is allowed. There are several more advantages of this shrub:
- unpretentious to soils;
- frost-resistant;
- begins to bloom in May.
It is used mainly in hedges, as well as in compositions and as a single decoration of the site. Looks great by the water in combination with stone paths.
Spirea Vangutta White
The most common ornamental shrub with white flowers. In autumn, the crown of the shrub turns yellow. The maximum height is 2 meters, as is the diameter. It grows quickly, undemanding to soil, tolerates drought well. Like any spirea, it requires a sunny place, does not tolerate strong shade. In the middle of autumn, fruits are formed on the bush.
Spirea Wangutta Golden Fountain
Spirea Wangutta Gold Fountain is another variety, with a slightly different appearance. It is a fast growing but upright plant. Grows up to four meters in height. The plant has narrow leaves of a dark green hue. The shrub is used as a hedge and in compositions with other plants.
Spirea Wangutta gold fountain, like other varieties, loves sunny places, but with partial shade. This allows the shrub to maintain a beautiful appearance for a long time, which is appreciated by lovers of landscape design.Any house will look rich if the Golden Fountain shrubs are planted along the facade.
Spirea Wangutta Pink Ice
This is a hybrid that is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and drought tolerance. The variety has variegated leaves and creamy inflorescences. For solitary planting, this particular variety is considered the best variation.
Planting and caring for the Wangutta spirea
You can plant Wangutta spirea both in spring and autumn. In autumn, it is optimal to do this during the period of leaf fall, and in spring - before the start of sap flow. It is recommended to plant spirea with seedlings with a closed root system, but first it is necessary to prepare the correct site for planting.
Preparation of planting material and site
Spirea Wangutta tolerates planting better in autumn, until mid-October. An area with dry sandy soil is suitable for planting. There, the shrub will take root best of all and will delight with its beauty.
Before planting, you need to put the seedlings in water for three hours. Dry roots and roots with signs of rot must be removed.
When preparing planting material, it is important to remove shoots that are too thin and long so that the plant can fully develop.
The landing site is chosen strictly in the sun, with a little shade. Under the seedling, you need to dig a square hole, which will be 20 cm larger than the root system of the seedling. At the bottom of the pit, be sure to lay out drainage from pebbles or rubble.
If it is supposed to grow a hedge, then the pits should be no more than a meter apart. Then there will be no gaps in the hedge.
Planting spirea Wangutta
Before planting, the seedling should be carefully examined and checked if all the roots are healthy and complete. All suspicious instances must be removed. The bush must be placed in a prepared hole and covered with earth. Composition of the land: 2 parts of sod land, 1 part of sand, 1 part of peat.
The root system must be carefully sprinkled and mulched on top. For this, peat is used. After planting, the seedling is watered with two buckets of water. The water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Watering and feeding
Watering the bush is not difficult. The plant is quite drought-resistant, does not require care. In any case, there are several rules for watering that should be followed so that the shrub will delight the owner with its luxury for a long time:
- watering during hot and dry periods;
- the top layer of the earth must be dry;
- watering should be regular, but not excessive.
If moisture is in excess, it will negatively affect the flowering of the shrub.
Fertilizing a plant also requires adherence to certain rules. The plant is unpretentious, and therefore it is enough to feed it once in the spring with complex fertilizer. Another option for feeding is to add superphosphate to the nutrient mixture.
If you use granular fertilizer, then it is absorbed more slowly, and the result of top dressing will be expressed in violent flowering the next year.
Pruning spirea Wangutta after flowering
Spirea Wangutta needs pruning after flowering. In just a year, several pruning should be carried out: formative and sanitary. With sanitary pruning, diseased and frozen shoots are removed. Forming is carried out immediately after flowering and is designed to give the shrub a normal shape that will delight the owner. If pruning is carried out annually and the appearance of the shrub is monitored, then the average life span of an ornamental plant is 20 years.
Pruning the Wangutta spirea in the fall helps prepare the plant for winter and give it the desired shape.
Preparing spirea Wangutta for winter
A feature of this shrub is its frost resistance. The plant does not require special preparation for the winter period, and it is not necessary to cover it. Winters are known when uncovered shrubs survived and endured frosts down to -40 ° C.
Experts advise covering shrubs only in regions where frosts drop below -35–40 ° C. These are the northern regions of the country. There it is necessary to cover the root zone of the shrub with dry leaves, film and other methods of insulation so that the shrub can withstand the cold winter. If there are shoots that are frozen during the winter, they must be cut off in the spring so that the plant does not waste energy on painful shoots.
It is recommended to wrap very young seedlings only in the first winter so that they fully take root and do not suffer from frost.
Reproduction of the Wangutta spirea plant
Shrub propagation is carried out in three ways:
- cuttings;
- layering;
- seeds.
Cuttings should be carried out 14-16 days after flowering. Long, highly lignified shoots, completely healthy, are suitable as cuttings. To obtain roots, cuttings should be placed in a container where equal parts of peat and sand from the river are used as nutrient soil. The next year, rooted cuttings can be planted.
Reproduction by layering is the simplest and most popular method that is used everywhere even by novice gardeners. To do this, you need the lignified branch that is lowest to the ground. It should be laid in a special groove so that the top of the shoot sticks out a few centimeters. Attach the shoot to the ground with a metal pin and sprinkle it with soil with a fertile composition. Water the layers, and cover them with leaves and foil by winter. In the spring, a branch that has taken root should be carefully separated from the bush and transplanted to a permanent place allotted to it.
It can be propagated by spirea and by dividing the main bush during transplantation. In this case, one large bush, when dug up, can be divided into several permanent strong plants. It is important that there are healthy and strong shoots everywhere that can take root in a new place. Separation should also be done carefully to minimize damage to the root system. Then, in a new place, the shrub will take root quickly and without problems.
Diseases and pests
The plant is also resistant to diseases and pests, but with improper care, there are certain risks. For example, excessive waterlogging can lead to fungal infections. Systemic fungicides will help to cope with such pathologies.
The main symptoms of diseases that you must pay attention to:
- spots on the leaves;
- wilting of branches;
- darkening of the bark.
In this case, it is better to cut off the diseased area and process the cut with garden pitch.
As for pests, everything is also standard here:
- spider mite;
- aphid.
For the fight, any available means are used that can be sprayed on the bush. It is necessary to use medicines strictly according to the instructions so that the dosage is sufficient for the result. You can also use folk remedies, for example, ash solution.
Conclusion
A photo and description of Wangutta's spirea can attract the attention of any gardener. This shrub is able to decorate both the facade of the house, and the area with a lawn, and serve as a hedge from prying neighbors' eyes. The variety can be selected both higher and lower, with different flowering periods, but in any case, the main advantage is that the plant is unpretentious, drought-resistant, tolerates frost and does not require constant feeding. Even a novice gardener can grow such an ornamental shrub. Knowledge is minimal and the plant grows in record time.
