Spirea Anthony Waterer: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care with photo

Spirea shrub is replete with a variety of varieties, the most popular of which is Anthony Vaterer. The compact bush has long been a favorite of landscape designers due to its bright colors, which is why it is often found in summer cottages or in park areas. Another positive quality of the plant is unpretentiousness, which is why summer residents stop at spirea when choosing colored bushes for the garden.

Description and characteristics of the plant

Spirea Anthony Waterer or Anthony Waterer - a hybrid of white-flowered and Japanese spirea. The plant is very compact, crowns do not reach more than 80 centimeters. The shrub grows slowly, and rarely adds more than 5 centimeters per year. The shape of the bush is spherical, with straight branches.

Leaves - pointed, with notches. When blooming, they have a scarlet hue, then they become dark green, and in the fall, before falling off, they are filled with red. Spirea flowers are small, bright pink, with a lilac tint. Collected in lush, covering the plant, inflorescences, with a diameter of about 15 centimeters. Flowering period - 100 days, from June to September.

Important! With regular pruning of flowering inflorescences, the flowering period is extended.

Advantages and disadvantages of spirea Anthony Vaterer

Shrub Anthony Waterer has a number of undeniable advantages:

• long flowering;
• unpretentiousness;
• compact;
• frost resistance;
• disease resistance with proper care;
• low cost of seedlings;
• suitable for single and group plantings;
• beautiful appearance and pleasant smell.

Despite its positive aspects, spirea still has several disadvantages that should be described:

• during a drought, additional watering is needed, otherwise the plant will dry out;
• with improper care, there is a high probability of infection of the bush with a fungus and pest invasion.

Features of growing varieties

In order for the bush to grow he althy and resistant to diseases, planting rules should be followed.

Time and place

Recommended planting time for shrubs is in September, when the sun is not so scorching. Spirea is a light-loving plant, so the most advantageous place is unshaded, which is illuminated all day long. The soil should be chosen sod or leafy, without groundwater and characterized by the greatest fertility.Be sure to add peat and sand to the soil before planting.

Important! The more fertile the land is, the more magnificent and abundant the spirea will bloom.

Preparation of planting material

For planting spirea, choose a cloudy or rainy day in September. Suitable material for planting or transplanting is strong he althy shoots or well-rooted seedlings. When digging out of the soil, the root system should be preserved as much as possible without damaging it. Sick, dry and weak shoots need to be cut. Cropped strong seedlings should be soaked in succinic acid for half an hour before planting.

If a seedling is bought in a store, you need to make sure that there is no external damage, both to the root system and to the shaft itself.

Scheme and planting process

Before planting the plant, the soil must be dug up and fertilized with sand and peat or humus, and then proceed to digging planting holes.Their depth should be about 50 centimeters, and the width should be half the root system. The distance between the landing pits is at least half a meter. The bottom of the holes should be drained, especially if groundwater flows in the ground. Expanded clay or small pebbles are suitable for this.

The roots of the seedling should be spread over the hole so that they feel free, and the root neck is at ground level or slightly higher. After that, the future bush is sprinkled with earth, fertilized with sand and peat, and then well tamped. When everything is ready, the seedling should be watered with a bucket of water and mulched with peat.

Care instructions

In order for a flowering plant to please its owners, you need to follow simple rules for care.

Water and fertilize

As already mentioned, spirea does not like severe drought, therefore, in especially hot summers, the plant should be watered twice a month, and bushes under 3 years old - once a week.Also, watering is necessary in the first year of the life of the shrub. A bucket of water is enough. Before this, the soil must be dug up so that the liquid does not stagnate, and after watering, mulch with sawdust or peat to avoid drying out.

Also, don't forget to feed. Potash, phosphate, nitrogen or mixed fertilizers should be applied twice a year. The first time in the spring - before the formation of buds, the second time - in June, before flowering.

Loosening the soil and pruning

Loosening the soil is carried out in spring, autumn, during irrigation and before mulching. This will oxygenate the soil, keep liquid from stagnation, prevent fungus and reduce the risk of parasites.

Pruning is another important point in the care of spirea. Regular trimming of the bush will enhance the growth of the plant, increase the number of inflorescences and protect against premature wilting. Pruning is carried out in the spring - before the buds appear, or in the fall - when the bush fades:

• dry and painful branches are cut off completely, and the old ones are shortened;
• the older the bush, the more plentiful pruning - a plant older than 5 years is shortened to 50 centimeters, and older than 6 - it is cut completely to the stump. Pruning of old plants is carried out only in autumn;
• In spirea older than 3 years, the lower shoots and old branches are pruned.

The resulting cuttings should be burned.

Winter care

Spireas are frost-resistant, but young bushes need additional heating. Before the onset of cold weather, seedlings and young bushes are covered with spruce branches or foliage, and after precipitation they should be sprinkled with snow.

Diseases and pests

Infection that can attack spirea is a fungus or root rot. To avoid this, you should prevent stagnant water, regularly dig up and mulch the earth. With regards to parasites - the most dangerous for shrubs:

• aphid (peak of infection - summer months, untimely treatment is deadly for the plant);
• spider mite (no less dangerous than aphids, and also leads to the death of a flowering bush; calmly survives the cold in the leaves);
• leaflets;
• miners.

To avoid the invasion of pests, you should carefully monitor each change in leaves, stems and flowers, as well as regularly cut the plant, loosen and mulch the soil.

Propagation of the bush

How to propagate spirea yourself:

• branches: this division is carried out in the spring, choosing young and strong shoots. Branches should be carefully bent to the soil, until they touch, and fixed, and then covered with earth along the entire length. Water shoots 2 times a month. For the winter - cover with foliage or peat.In the new spring, a young bush can be separated from the mother and transplanted to a new place;
• cuttings: this method is carried out in June, when the young branches are finally formed into a full-fledged branch. To do this, they are cut off and divided into small processes, about 10 centimeters long. After that, the cuttings should be dipped in a solution that stimulates growth for 12 hours, then planted in soil fertilized with peat and sand, watering every two days.

It will not be possible to increase the number of Anthony Waterer plants on the site with seeds, since this species is a hybrid, and one of the parents of this variety will be obtained from the grains.

Landscape design

Most often, spirea is used in landscape design as a hedge, or planted along the alleys. The bush goes well with conifers and other trees, which allows designers or just creative people to create a real plant picture.

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