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Spirea in landscape design is a simple and inexpensive way to decorate any home garden. There are over 90 species of this plant. Shrubs can be used to form a hedge that will delight the eye with its lush flowering in spring and summer. Depending on the type of plant, its height can range from 30 cm to 2 m.
The use of spirea in landscape design
Spirea for hedges is used to delimit the territory without the effect of isolation, bordering a recreation area or a flower garden. For this, borders and frames are formed from undersized shrubs. Most often, Japanese spirea is used in landscape design.
If the borders are distinguished by severity, then in mixboders, the shrub gives pomp and volume, sets accents, and brings picturesqueness. For decoration in this way, Japanese, gray, nippon or white-flowered spirea are used. These varieties are perfectly combined with other perennial shrubs due to the lush crown and expressive lines. They contrast especially well with decorative deciduous and evergreen plants.
Miniature and dwarf varieties are used to decorate alpine slides. They bloom beautifully, have a luxurious crown. Spireas fit perfectly into the landscape, where there are large stones and boulders. Shrubs are visually combined with carpets and perennials, giving the composition harmony and airiness.
For rockeries and rock gardens, undersized spireas with dense crowns are chosen.
Plants are used in the design of alleys and groups of shrubs to create a colorful undergrowth. Lilac, mock orange or viburnum will look more magnificent and brighter surrounded by spirea.
Owners of large-scale household plots can afford to arrange arrays of shrubs. Low and dense varieties of spirea are planted in such a way that a closed continuous coating is obtained. To create arrays, spireas are used, which bloom in spring and summer.
Features of a spirea hedge
A variety of varieties of spirea allows you to form different types of hedges. Shrubs that reach a height of 2 m are used if you need to hide private territory from curious neighbors. With the help of dwarf species, they zone and decorate the site.
Thanks to the various shapes of the inflorescences, the plant will give the fence a beautiful shape. By combining different varieties of shrubs, they create a hedge that will delight in lush bloom from early spring to late autumn.
Even after the plant has faded, the appearance of the hedge will not lose its beauty. The leaves of the shrub will turn yellow, purple and orange in autumn.
Spirea will take root well and grow quickly if watered regularly and moderately. During the drought period, moisture is applied in small portions during the day.
The soil at the roots is loosened, which will provide oxygen to them. Fertilize the plant in spring with mineral compounds.
Types and varieties of spirea for hedges
Fast growing varieties of spirea for hedges differ in size and shape of the bush, flowering period and color of flowers. By combining different types of plants, you can achieve continuous flowering.
Below are the most popular varieties of spirea in landscape design with a photo.
Wangutta
The bushes reach a height of 2 m. Leaves are green in light tones with a transition to beige spots. In autumn it turns orange and red. Wangutta blooms profusely from late spring to early summer. Sometimes it blooms again at the end of summer. White small flowers are collected in hemispherical inflorescences.
Dubravkolistnaya
The shrub of this variety of spirea can reach 2 m in height. It has long, ribbed shoots, which, under the weight of semicircular inflorescences, bend beautifully to the ground. The crown is dense and round. The plant has white, fairly large flowers. They bloom in early May. Elongated shrub leaves. Perfect for forming a fence from the road.
Boomald
Has an unusual color of flowers. The bush is relatively low and reaches 1 m. The crown of the plant is dome-shaped. Erect, slightly drooping shoots. Flowers are collected in shields. Carmine petals. In autumn, the leaves turn bronze-red or brick-orange. From the bush I form small hedges in partial shade.
Spirea gray (ashy)
The top of the pointed leaves of the plant has a gray-green tint. The flowering period of the shrub is May-June. Shoots are long, ribbed with a felt edge. Densely covered with loose voluminous shields with snow-white buds. The flowers are large, up to 1 cm in diameter. The buds dot the shoot along its entire length. The plant reaches a height of 2 m. It has spreading long red-brown branches resembling arches. A hedge of gray spirea will add a silvery palette to the landscape, as in the photo below.
Frobel
Medium-sized shrub reaches a height of 1.5 m. Powerful erect shoots. Leaves of intense dark green color. Inflorescences are pink-purple in color, collected in shields. The variety prefers moderate watering and grows well in sunny places. At the end of the season, the bushes are cut by hemp 30 cm from the ground.
Golden princesses
Reaches a meter in height. The crown is round with a diameter of 1.3 m. It has oval rich yellow leaves. The flowering period of the shrub is June-July. Flowers are collected in thyroid inflorescences and have a pink color.
Arguta
The shrub reaches a height of 2 m. Thin shoots, bend down. The foliage is small, serrated, bright green. Small flower umbrellas. Begins to bloom earlier than other varieties. Used to form long hedges.
Densiflora
Shrub no more than 80 cm high. Used to form low fences. It has green leaves of an oval or elliptical shape, in autumn it turns orange. The plant is decorated with large shields of bright pink flowers. Blooms in June.
Nipponica snowmound
A tall shrub that, with regular watering, reaches a height of 2 m. It has a spreading crown. Flowering lasts 2 months and begins in June.
Grefsheim
In areas with a harsh climate, frost-resistant species are used, in regions where there is a dry and hot summer, they use spirea, which tolerates heat well.
Summer flowering varieties
Summer-flowering varieties of spirea, as a rule, have inflorescences of pink and red shades.
- Spirea willow.Shrub from a meter to 2.5 m in height. In early June, it is covered with inflorescences of a light pink hue. The foliage is light, reminiscent of willow in shape.
- Japanese.The most popular variety of spirea. The shrub is low, begins to bloom from the middle of summer. Great for the formation of group plantings and curbs. Shirobana is the most spectacular of them. One shrub contains flowers of red, pink and white shades.
- White-flowered. The bush is one and a half meters high, covered with white flowers that exude a pleasant scent.
- Spirea Douglas. Reaches a height of 1.5 m. It has red-brown, drooping shoots with oblong leaves of a silvery-green hue. Flowers are dark pink, collected in paniculate inflorescences. It blooms in July and continues to bloom until August.
- Billard. A frost-resistant hybrid up to 2 m high. It has wide leaves and bright pink inflorescences. Blossoms in the second half of summer.
Spring flowering varieties
Spirea species that bloom in spring tend to have white or cream-colored inflorescences. Lush flowering, during this period the bush resembles a white cloud.
- Wangutta.Tall or medium-sized shrubs that are decorated with a cascade of white flowers at the end of May. Spirea of this variety is used to create hedges. The inflorescences are creamy, the leaves are variegated.
- Thunberg.The shrub is no more than 1.5 m high. The branches of the plant are covered with graceful leaves, which change color to orange in autumn. From May to June, the bush is decorated with lush white inflorescences.
- Nippon. A low-growing spherical shrub. Plant height, as a rule, does not exceed a meter. Abundant flowering occurs in late May and June.
- Gorodchaty. Spectacular shrub with a loose crown up to a meter high. They have grayish-green obovate leaves with protruding veins. Yellowish-white flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences.
- Gray. Up to 2 m high. Branched shoots, pointed gray-green leaves. White flowers are collected in loose thyroid inflorescences. The flowering period is May-June.
How to form a spirea hedge
Forms a beautiful hedge by planting shrubs in spring or autumn. In the first case, this process is completed before bud break. In the second - in September in rainy weather. The distance between bushes and rows should be at least half a meter. The hole is dug 3 days before planting. A layer of drainage from pebbles or broken bricks is laid on the bottom.
For a hedge to please the eye for a long time, the shrubs that form it need to be properly looked after. They are watered moderately, the soil is loosened, young shoots are regularly trimmed and old, dried branches are removed. The land is weeded and fertilized. For the winter, the shoots are tied together, bent to the ground and covered with foliage or spruce branches.
To keep the hedge neat, the shrubs are periodically trimmed. Young plants are pruned every year. Once every three years, old branches are cut to a stump. This is done after the shrubs have faded.
Rules for combining spirea and other plants
Spirea can be combined with almost any plant. If the shrub acts as the center of the composition, roses, alpine asters, peonies, hybrid daylilies, and Turkish carnations are planted around it.
The classic is the combination of spirea with conifers, combining the plant with evergreen shrubs, dwarf or tall trees. Acts as a transition between tall spruce or pine and the surrounding area. Oriental motifs are created with Japanese pine and juniper. Combined with lilac, viburnum, multicolored moss and broom the bush looks more elegant. By combining several types of spirea in a composition, you can get a spectacular hedge that will transform a garden plot, square or park.
Conclusion
Spirea in landscape design is a great way to decorate your garden plot. A bush fence will not only delight the eye, but will also protect from nosy neighbors, as well as noise and dust from the road.
