Spirea Vangutta: description of varieties, planting and care, reproduction and pruning with photos

A distinctive feature that makes the Vangutta spirea not just a shrub, but a real decoration of the garden, is its flowering. This ornamental plant is able to revive any, even the most problematic, area with an avalanche of beautiful white flowers. And relative unpretentiousness, ease of pruning and ease of cultivation - these are far from all its advantages.

Description and varieties

This species was bred by French breeders in the second half of the 19th century, crossing Cantonese and three-lobed spirea. She immediately fell in love with gardeners, and since that time has not lost popularity.Spirea Vangutta is a spherical shrub, with numerous spreading branches. Leaves are rounded, obovate, with finely serrated edges, dark green, and bluish-green on the underside. Turns red-orange in autumn.

At the moment of abundant flowering shoots cascade to the ground. Blooms in spring, from mid-May, in June - depends on the region of growth. But it may slightly re-bloom in August. At the time of abundant flowering, the shoots cascade to the ground. Spirea flowers are small, bright white, clustered in numerous, dense hemispherical inflorescences.

Differs in shade tolerance, unpretentiousness and high energy of growth. The species is frost-resistant, but with a significant decrease in temperature, the tips of young branches may freeze slightly. Widely used by landscape designers and simple gardeners to decorate summer cottages, create hedges.Suitable for planting in mixed groups and as a single plant. It prefers fertile, loose, well-drained soil with neutral acidity, but can thrive in a variety of soil types.

Gold Fontaine

Spirea Gold Fountain appeared as a result of a mutation of the Vangutta spirea. It has more pronounced decorative qualities. It is a compact, graceful deciduous shrub with a spherical shape. Shoots of an orange-reddish hue, sprawling, arched, up to 1.2 meters high. The width of the spirea grows up to 1.5 meters. Gold Fontaine is growing quite slowly. During the season, the growth is only 15-20 centimeters.

Young foliage turns orange-red in spring, changing to a spectacular rich yellow in summer. The leaves are oval, slightly lobed, with a glossy sheen. A prerequisite for the preservation of decorative, golden foliage is planting in the open sun.When grown in the shade, it turns green.

Gold Fontaine spirea flowers are numerous, small, white, grouped in hemispherical inflorescences. They have a persistent fragrant, honey aroma. This is really a golden fountain in the garden. Excellent for forming hedges, in solo and group compositions, together with conifers and other deciduous plants. Spirea Gold Fontaine is used by landscapers for urban landscaping. Differs in high frost resistance. This variety can be grown in all types of soil.

Pink Ice

Spirea Pink Ice is a compact shrub with original, variegated foliage and strongly drooping red branches. The plant is spherical in shape, the height and width of the bush are similar - from 1.5 to 2.0 meters. Young leaves are creamy white, rarely pinkish. As they grow, they acquire a pale green color, with abundant cream spots appearing.

Spirea Pink Ice blooms in May-June. It bears numerous, small white flowers. They are collected in dense, beautiful, hemispherical inflorescences, densely covering the shoots. It looks spectacular in contrasting compositions, for example, with barberry. It grows well on soils without stagnant water, with acidity from slightly acidic to alkaline. Good frost resistance, but at very low temperatures, the tips of young shoots may freeze slightly.

Renaissance

Interspecific hybrid of American selection, bred on the basis of an old variety, a favorite of gardens and parks. A fast growing plant, it reaches a maximum of 1.5 meters in height and 2.0 meters in width. It is characterized by a more compact size of the bush than that of the Vangutta spirea. Branches numerous, slightly curved.

Blooms mid-April to late May with stunning creamy white flowers. The foliage of the Renaissance spirea is gracefully lobed, small in size, with finely serrated edges, colored bluish-green throughout the season.

Prefers growing in well-lit areas. The variety is characterized by high resistance to diseases and frost resistance. The variety has practically no flaws. Plus, there is no need for constant pruning. Widely used as a single plant and in various mixed compositions.

Snow White

Charming spirea with a beautiful name translated into Russian - Snow White. A neat, compact crown of a rounded shape, somewhat reminiscent of a vase. The branches are gracefully curved, with dark green lobed foliage that turns orange-red in autumn. In spring, white flowers profusely cover the stems.

Shoots cascade down to the very ground. It grows to a maximum of 1.20 meters in height and 1.50 meters in width. It tolerates polluted city air well, and it has high winter hardiness. Due to these qualities, the plant is widely used for landscaping parks and squares.It is used to create hedges, as well as a single or group plant. Prefers growing in full sun.

Growing a bush

With all its endurance and unpretentiousness, the spirea prefers planting in well-lit places. And, of course, it shows the best results when grown on loose, drained soils.

What should be the soil

Prefers fertile, loose, well-drained soil with neutral acidity. But spirea can successfully develop on different types of soil. With a high density of soil, digging a larger volume of the planting hole is required. At the bottom, it is desirable to pour a layer of drainage from crushed stone, expanded clay, small pieces of brick.

Process and landing pattern

When planting spirea seedlings with an open root system (OCS), especially large specimens, it is important to observe the planting dates.Autumn is the best time for this. It can be planted from the beginning to the end of September, in some cases - until mid-October, depending on the region of the country. The main conditions for a successful transplant are the absence of heat, cloudy weather and high soil moisture.

If there is little rain in autumn, frequent watering should be ensured after planting. Planted in early spring, before the start of sap flow in the shoots. But seedlings with a closed root system (ZKS) are planted throughout the season. If the soil at the planting site is suitable - loose, well-drained, then the size of the planting hole will be 25-30% larger than the root of the transplanted plant. And the depth of the hole is 40-50 centimeters.

But if the soil is clayey, heavy, and if water stagnation is possible, then the size of the planting hole will be 2-3 times larger than the root spirea. After digging, the planting pits are covered with a specially prepared substrate. Here is a description of the universal potting mix:

• 1 part clean river sand, preferably coarse-grained;
• 1 part neutral peat;
• 2 pieces of soddy or leafy soil;
• 1 part well-rotted manure.

The distance between the Vangutta spirea bushes depends on the beginning of flowering and the purpose of planting. Spireas that bloom in summer are planted in group plantings at a distance of 0.5-0.7 meters from each other. When creating a hedge, plants are planted at a distance of 40-50 centimeters. When placed in 2 rows, the row spacing is 30-40 centimeters.

Spring-flowering varieties are placed more freely. To create a hedge, the distance between the spireas is 0.7-1.0 meters. And when creating group landings - 1.0-1.5 meters. The day before planting, the root spirea is soaked in a solution of a growth stimulator and a fungicide.At the very landing, a substrate is poured into the bottom of the pit, a seedling is placed on it, and the roots are carefully straightened. Then the pit is filled with the remaining substrate, the soil is lightly compacted and water is poured abundantly.

Care instructions

Spirea is not an overly whimsical plant, but for active growth, spectacular and abundant flowering, it is necessary to provide the necessary care. It consists of watering, top dressing and timely pruning, as well as preventive protection against diseases and pests.

Water and soil care

Regular weeding, as well as surface loosening of the soil, will facilitate the access of oxygen to the roots, as well as improve the wetting of the soil during irrigation and the absorption of fertilizers during top dressing. When mulching the root zone of spirea, there is no need for loosening and weeding. But it is important to monitor the thickness of the mulch, its layer should be at least 10 centimeters.

The plant does not tolerate stagnant water in the root area, so the gardener determines the frequency of watering himself, depending on the composition of the soil. But, basically, the bushes are abundantly shed with water 3-4 times a month, and even more often during a period of extreme heat. Care also consists in abundant spraying of the crown, which favorably affects the growth of spirea.

Feeding and fertilizing plants

With a planting hole of the right size, filled with a really nutritious substrate, the first year the spirea can not be fertilized at all. In subsequent years, one treatment per season will be enough - a complex phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. And, of course, mulching the trunk circle with organic matter, in particular, rotted manure.

Pruning Spirea

For abundant, beautiful flowering, plants form a crown, and also carry out sanitary cleaning. All diseased, dried, old twigs, leaves and inflorescences are periodically removed. But for a successful wintering, all pruning procedures are carried out before the onset of cold weather.

The number of cuts for decorative crown formation is 2-4 per season, depending on the growth energy. Spirea tolerates pruning well. When pruning, the gardener must remember that spirea blooms on the shoots of the second year. And it is important not to overdo it, if necessary, you need to leave 1-2 strong buds on the shoot.

Diseases and pests

First of all, you need to maintain the overall he alth of the plants. But if the agricultural technology is not followed, the spirea becomes more susceptible to diseases and pests. Possible defeat by aphids, sawflies, gall midges. For the prevention and direct control of them, spraying with a solution of insecticides is used - Aktara, Aktellik, Enzhio.

High humidity and acidification of the soil can trigger an outbreak of fungal diseases. To combat them, systemic fungicides are used - Infinito, Falcon or contact copper-containing preparations, such as Medyan Extra.

Spirea reproduction

The shrub is propagated by cuttings, sowing seeds and rooting root shoots. Spirea seeds germinate weakly, it is advisable to use only fresh seed. In the conditions of a summer residence and a garden plot, digging and rooting in pots of root shoots is preferable for reproduction.

Therefore, for the mass production of seedlings, propagation by semi-lignified cuttings is used. For rooting cuttings, the following conditions are observed:

• length of cuttings - on average, 15-20 centimeters;
• removal of leaves by 3/4 of the cutting length;
• soaking for a day in growth stimulant solution or dusting the cut before planting;
• use of a rooting substrate consisting of non-acidic peat and agroperlite;
• rooting cuttings in a mini greenhouse or greenhouse;
• regular spraying of cuttings or creating a "fog".

Landscape design

White is always in demand in gardening. Beautiful, profusely flowering spireas are used by designers when creating compositions, in mixes with conifers, barberries and other spectacular ornamental plants. Spireas are planted as single plants, plus they are indispensable for creating hedges and urban gardening.

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