Gray spirea: description and characteristics, varieties, planting and care rules

In landscape design, plants are often used that change the general green background of plantings, decorate areas with exotic shades. Spirea (Spiraea) gray fell in love with flower growers for the exquisite ashy tone of the foliage, abundant flowering, and the beautiful shape of the bush. Perennial shrub is distinguished by frost resistance, unpretentiousness. Let's consider what conditions the spirea needs for life, how to grow a flower on the site.

Description of gray spirea

Spiraea cinerea is an ornamental shrub, a hybrid obtained by crossing two natural species of spirea. Belongs to the Rosaceae (Pink) family.The size of the bush is 0.9-2 meters. The branches are flexible, densely strewn with leaves, so they bend in arcs towards the ground, giving the bush the shape of a ball. The foliage is lanceolate, gray-green in color, slightly lighter from the bottom. Flowers are collected in inflorescences (shields), which are formed along the entire length of the branches. During the flowering period, white flowers completely hide the leaves, the bush turns white, for which the spirea is popularly called the “bride”.

Buds open in May, flowering lasts 30-40 days. Neat ash-colored leaves give spirea a sophisticated look even after flowering.

Reference: flower growers love gray spirea for its decorative effect, which lasts all season. Ash-green foliage adorns the garden, the spherical-shaped shrub with bowed branches lasts a month.

Types and varieties

Flower growers cultivate 2 hybrids of gray spirea, which are beautiful and easy to grow.

Grefsheim

Grefsheim has a lush bush with reddish-brown branches.Foliage is greyish-green, turning yellow in autumn. The shrub turns into a golden ball. Even in winter, spirea looks decorative - numerous branches do not stick out as bare skeletons, the bush retains its shape corresponding to the varietal description.

Grefsheim gray spirea is famous for its numerous umbrella inflorescences that sit close to each other, located from the very ground to the end of the branches. Color of flowers - white, white-pink, red. Small flowers (up to 1 centimeter) are densely grouped into inflorescences.

Spirea Grefsheim during the flowering period exudes a pleasant aroma, collects a lot of bees. A honey plant is specially planted to attract insects.

Graciosa

Graciosa bushes with flexible long branches look more sprawling, bend more towards the ground. The inclined and curved stems are like fountain jets.Graciosa blooms with white fragrant flowers in May-June. After flowering, the bush retains a sophisticated appearance. The Argut variety (sharp-toothed) with green foliage is very similar to gray spirea.

Pros and cons

Flower growers find a lot of valuable qualities in spirea gray:

• decorative throughout the year;
• frost resistance - the frostbitten tips of the branches are cut off, this does not affect the beauty of the bush;
• easy breeding;
• rapid growth;
• long flowering period;
• does not need clean air, grows in conditions of gas pollution.

The plant releases phytoncides, improves the air in the area itself. Flower growers assure that spirea has no shortcomings. Note that a sunny place should be allocated for the bush, pruned regularly to maintain ventilation and stimulate flowering.

Cultivation specifics

Gray spirea has a non-capricious disposition, flower growers note the unpretentiousness of the plant and ease of care. When planting, it is important to remember that the branches grow up to 15-25 centimeters a year, a small seedling will soon turn into a shrub, which can reach 3 meters in girth. This should be taken into account when choosing a planting pattern, planning to use it for hedges or next to other plants.

When to plant?

The best time for landing in open ground is the beginning of autumn - cloudy rainy weather. If the seedling is planted in the spring, you need to have time before bud break. Spiraea takes root easily, flower growers believe that a seedling from a pot with a clod of earth will take root when planted at any time, the main thing is to water and slightly shade the young sprout from the sun first.

How to plant?

Spirea, growing in the sun, has a symmetrical lush bush, blooms profusely and for a long time.For shrubs, it is better to choose open sunny places, allowing only slight shading. Heavy soil is lightened with humus, dry foliage, peat. The pit is prepared a few days before landing. A drainage layer of small stones is laid at the bottom to ensure that excess water escapes. The size of the pit is 40-50 centimeters.

A layer of prepared fertile soil is poured over the drainage. The roots of the seedling are cut, too long and damaged sections are removed. A young sprout is placed in the center of the pit so that the growth point coincides with the surface of the soil, and covered with soil, compacted. Spilled with water (bucket) and, if necessary, level the seedling in the pit. The surface of the soil is mulched with organic matter.

Flower Care Tips

During the growing season, spirea must be properly cared for, then the size of the shrub will increase, and flowering will be long. Care includes the usual set of activities - watering, fertilizing, pruning.

Irrigation

Recommendations for watering spirea:

1. Pour 10-15 liters of settled warm water into the root circle.
2. Water application mode - 2 times a month.
3. At the peak of the summer season, in the absence of rain and high air temperature, water twice a week. Best watered in the evening or early morning.

After the top layer has dried, the soil is loosened to a depth of 7-8 centimeters, trying not to damage the roots. In the rainy season, watering is reduced - spirea does not need excess moisture, as mold and root rot can develop. Remove weeds regularly.

Feeding

The first time spirea is fed after spring pruning to ensure the growth of branches and green mass. Diluted manure or bird droppings are added in combination with superphosphate (8-10 grams per bush).Secondary top dressing is done at the beginning of budding, a potassium-phosphorus-nitrogen complex (Kemira Universal) is introduced.

once fertilized as part of pre-winter preparation - complex fertilizers and organic matter.

Cutting Features

The spirea bush grows rapidly, to maintain decorativeness and he alth, plants use several types of pruning:

1. Spring (main). Cut dead branches, frostbitten tips, diseased damaged parts of the bush.
2. Decorative. It is carried out at the beginning of spring - shoots are cut by a third, choosing one of 2-3. The bush is given the desired shape so that it pleases with its appearance.
3. Rejuvenating. A necessary measure for plants aged 7-10 years. The branches should be cut at the root, near the ground, leaving the lower dormant buds. In the future, young shoots will grow from the old root, the shrub will be completely renewed.

When forming pruning, only old shoots should not be removed, otherwise the young branches will not give abundant flowering.

Transfer

If it is necessary to transplant spirea, a pit in a new place is prepared in 5-7 days. The main thing when transplanting is to remove the bush without damaging the root system and preserving the earthen clod. The spirea is dug in from all sides, the plant is removed from the ground and transferred to the fabric to a new place. An earthen ball with a bush is lowered into a pit, aligning the growth points with the surface of the soil. The plant is shed with water with a dissolved growth stimulator (Kornevin). In dry weather, the bush is covered for 3-5 days with a large piece of wet cloth, constantly maintaining humidity.

Reference: the best time for a spirea transplant is a cool time in early spring, before buds are activated, or in autumn, before a cold snap.

Preparing for winter

Spirea has a large margin of frost resistance. So that the root system does not freeze out with a lack of snow, the soil around the plant in winter must be covered with a layer of mulch (peat, hay, foliage). Frost-damaged ends of branches are pruned in spring.

Diseases, pests and prevention

Dense bush of spirea often becomes the prey of pests - aphids, spider mites, leafworms. For removal, insecticides are used in accordance with the instructions - Actellik, Etafos, Karbofos, Akreks. With an excess of watering and in rainy summers, fungal diseases can develop on the bushes - septoria, ramularia or others. The damaged areas of the bush are cut out, the spirea is treated with fungicidal preparations (Fundazol), Bordeaux mixture.

To protect the spirea from diseases and pests, observe the irrigation regime, ruthlessly cut out excess branches, preventing the bush from thickening. Spring treatment of the plant is recommended before the start of the growing season with Fitoverm.

Methods of plant propagation

To preserve the maternal properties of the plant, spirea should be propagated by vegetative methods. Delenki root easily, so even inexperienced flower growers can grow a young bush.

Seeds

Reproduction of hybrid plants by seeds is not carried out.

Shanks

Cuttings are prepared from hard shoots immediately after flowering. Cut into pieces of woody stem with 5-6 leaves. The cutting is placed in a container with nutrient soil, covered with a transparent dome. Water and feed regularly. By autumn they are transferred to open ground. A young seedling is carefully covered for the winter.

Dividing the bush

Division is used only in one case - if the bush needs to be transplanted. After extracting the plant from the soil, the roots are freed from the soil. With a sharp knife, the bush is divided into 2-3 parts with strong roots and buds, the divisions are planted in a permanent place.

Layers

The easiest and most convenient way to propagate spirea in your own area is layering. The branches of the shrub themselves bend to the ground, they are pressed to the ground and pinned.Water, loosen the soil. After rooting, a seedling is dug up and transplanted to a prepared place. A single gray spirea bush will perfectly decorate any area. Against its background, low flowers look bright - tulips, daffodils, primroses, crocuses. The shrub itself looks impressive near coniferous crops. With the help of a number of bushes, the site is divided into zones, used for hedges.

Spirea feels comfortable in cold Russia, it is cultivated even in Siberia and the Kola Peninsula. Gray foliage is a great way to dilute the green color on the site, bring a special chic to the landscape. The bush is strewn with flowers for a whole month, after the petals fall, the plant retains a beautiful appearance and is still pleasing to the eye.

Recommended