Spirea Argut: description of varieties and species, planting, growing and care with photos

Spiraea arguta (other name - meadowsweet) belongs to the category of beautiful flowering shrubs that are grown to decorate the garden. The exquisite beauty of this ornamental plant came to him thanks to his belonging to the Pink family. Arguta is a type of spirea that grows not only in the forest-steppe and forest zones, but also in the northern parts of the mountainous regions, as it is frost and moisture resistant. It can be found both in the Himalayas and in Mexico.

General information about the plant

Arguta is a hybrid, which was created using 2 types of Spiraea: multi-flowered and Thunberg.An adult plant reaches 2 m in height, and the length of its branches sometimes reaches 3 m. The rich green leaves are lanceolate, they are narrow with sharp notches along the edges, and therefore this type of spirea has a second name - sharply serrated. The branches are thin, gracefully bend in the form of an arc. White flowers cover meadowsweet from late May to late June. Formed on plants of the 2nd year. They represent an elongated umbrella-type inflorescence.

The diameter of the flower is 8 mm. It has 5 petals with a large number of stamens, giving the inflorescence a visual fluffiness. During the period of powerful flowering, the leaves are hidden under the abundance of snow-white buds, and the branches bend under their weight. The flowers exude a honey scent. Arguta grows slowly: 10-20 cm per year. But despite this, meadowsweet is still pruned.

Varieties and types of Argut spirea

Arguta is a spring flowering or early form of Spiraea, as the flowering period falls on May-June.

About 100 types of spirea are known, the most popular of which are:

• Grey, characterized by a 2-meter height and pale white color of inflorescences;
• Spirea Vangutta, surprising with blue-green color of leaves and deep white color of buds;
• City, very short, less than 1 m, with greenish-gray leaves and white-yellow inflorescences;
• Oak-leaved, about 2 m with rich white buds;
• Medium, 1-2m high;
• Japanese, with pink flowers, top green leaves and bluish bottom;
• Birch-leaved, 0.6 m high, with cone-shaped rose buds and birch-like leaves;
• Arguta (another name is sharp-toothed), having a height of 1.5 to 2 m and spectacular hanging branches of the plant, densely covered with baskets of snow-white petals.

Compacta is a popular variety of Spiraea arguta among gardeners, which was bred in Germany in the 19th century. The height and circumference of the crown of the plant is 1.5 m. Distinctive features:

• powerful flowering;
• decorative spherical shape of the plant;
• long growth;
• plant resistance to frost.

Small numerous white spirea inflorescences abundantly cover graceful branches falling to the ground, so gardeners often call her a delicate beauty.

Growing conditions and planting

Arguta is an undemanding plant, but in order for it to take root, you need to follow a number of care rules:

1. Plant by dividing a 3-4-year-old plant until the roots are too voluminous, away from groundwater, in an area open to sunlight, otherwise flowering will not be powerful. It is better to do this in September in cloudy weather.
2. Pick up fertile soil, but clay and loam is also acceptable.
3. To speed up the adaptation of spirea, a composition of turf, peat, sand is placed in the landing hole, and a drainage layer (for example, broken brick) is made.
4. In the spirea dug out for planting, the roots are thoroughly washed with water, then they are divided into 3 separate parts with secateurs so that each has 2-3 powerful stems. At the same time, the cord-like roots of the plant are trimmed.
5. Then the spirea is lowered into a hole, covered with soil, lightly tamping, and watered in several steps.

In case of soil subsidence, spirea is additionally sprinkled with earth, and after half an hour watered with liquid humic fertilizer. As a further care, you need to follow the rules of watering the plant, pruning and pest control prevention.

Hub Care Tips

In order for the flowering to be plentiful, and the arguta does not lose its decorative beauty, it is worth using a few simple recommendations for caring for the plant.

Attitude to temperature

Arguta quite endures summer heat and winter frost. Even a 40-degree frost for the plant will not be fatal. It is enough to cover it with foliage, as well as follow the basic principles of pruning, watering and fertilizing the soil, and carry out these manipulations in a timely manner in accordance with the temperature regime.

Soil and fertilizers

Arguta does not require frequent fertilization of the soil. If nutrients were added during planting in sufficient quantities, then this amount will last for 1 year. In addition, fertilizers should be applied only after cutting all the shoots almost to the root. To give strength to the spirea, a nutrient mixture of organic matter (50-70 cm thick) and mineral fertilizers (for example, Kemiry) is prepared.

Water and humidity

Spirea needs to be watered systematically, but soil moisture should be moderate, this is especially important when the soil is mulched. During the summer heat or during the period of drought, watering is carried out 1 time / 3 days, and in normal weather and moderate rainfall - 1 time / 1 week. Usually, approximately 15 liters of water are used at a time to moisten 1 bush. At the end of watering, the soil is mulched to prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface.

Cutting

Arguta is a spring-flowering species of Spiraea, and therefore it almost does not need pruning. But this does not exclude sanitary measures that are carried out after flowering. During this period, dry and damaged branches, shoots that are over 5 years old are removed.

If the formation of a shrub is required, then it is performed in March, removing frozen and weak branches and leaving the strongest ones.But in order to completely rejuvenate the spirea, they cut off all the old branches almost to the root. To preserve the decorative properties of spirea, long-flowering shoots are pruned. Carry out this procedure every 2-3 years.

Pests, diseases and prevention

Arguta is a hardy plant, and ordinary shrub diseases are not afraid of it: infectious diseases in meadowsweet are extremely rare. Sometimes spirea is affected by gray mold or some types of spotting, to get rid of which fungicidal preparations are used (Fundazol, Fitosporin, Bordeaux mixture or colloidal sulfur).

However, arguta can suffer from:

• spider mites;
• aphids;
• rose leaf;
• caterpillars.

The spider mite makes holes in leaves and flowers, envelops the shoots with cobwebs. The leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off prematurely.These pests are especially dangerous during the summer heat and drought. A 0.2% solution of "Phosfamide", "Acrexom", "Keltanoma" or "Karbofos", which is used to process branches, will help save the spirea from parasites.

Aphids harm leaves, inflorescences, drinking all juices from spirea. The granules of the 5% Pirimor composition, necessary for incorporation into the soil, will get rid of the misfortune. Treatment is carried out with the onset of the growing season.

Rose Leaf Roller becomes dangerous when the thermometer reaches +13 °C. She twists the sheets into a tube, makes holes in them, from which the arguta begins to dry. For the rehabilitation of spirea, a mixture of 0.7% Bitoxibacillin and 0.03% Pirimor is used. These drugs have an excellent effect on other pests.

As a preventive measure, timely fertilization is used, and spirea is planted as far as possible from the source of potential danger.

Reproduction methods

Arguta reproduces well by cuttings, as well as layering.

Cutting

Spirea cuttings are harvested in summer in 2 ways:

1. Cut from slightly lignified shoots of this season and keep in the solution of humic fertilizer or root-stimulating composition for about 12 hours, after which they are placed in the ground by 3.5 cm. Roots should appear by autumn.
2. Prepare green cuttings 8-9 cm long in early June. The lower leaves are removed, and the shoot is deepened by 20 mm. Transplanted next season.

Don't forget to water the Spirea.

Layers

In the spring, when leaves appear, the branches located from the edge of the spirea are bent and lowered into previously dug shallow trenches, then sprinkled with soil. Watered and organic fertilizers are applied 1 time / 1 week. Roots will appear by next spring.In early April, the spirea can already be planted in a permanent place.

Possible growing difficulties

There are no difficulties when growing spirea, but there are some care nuances that you should know:

1. Arguta, planted in autumn, may die in the first winter, as the young shrub is not strong enough, unlike the adult meadowsweet, and it needs to create comfortable conditions.
2. You can not cut the faded branches, this will provoke the growth of side shoots and ruin the overall look.

There will be no problems with spirea in other matters.

Landscape use

When decorating their plot, gardeners focus on undemanding plants that have high decorative properties. These criteria match the argument:

• disease resistant;
• tolerates winter frosts easily.

From it you can create an elegant hedge or various compositions from representatives of different varieties. Arguta goes well with deciduous and coniferous trees. In addition, spirea branches are used in bouquets.

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