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Spiraea Billarda - beautiful flowering deciduous shrub of the Rosaceae family, which does not lose its attractiveness throughout the warm season. Along with its high decorative value, the crop is distinguished by good frost resistance and unpretentiousness; it is recommended for cultivation even in the Northern regions.
Description of Billard's spirea
Billard's spirea (Spiraea billardii) is a powerful bush that grows up to 2 m in height, some specimens reach 2.5 m. The stems are straight, growing vertically upward, forming a lush crown in the shape of a sphere. The lower part of the shoots has no foliage; it is woody, ribbed, and grayish-brown in color. Young branches are reddish, covered with dense foliage, elastic and flexible.
The leaf blades have an oblong lanceolate shape with a clearly visible central vein, the average length is 10 cm. The back side of the leaf has a bluish tint.
The flowering period lasts from the end of July until the first October frosts. The inflorescences are large (up to 20 cm), pyramidal, reminiscent of fluffy fragrant candles.A long peduncle contains many small flowers with 5 rounded petals and long stamens. The color of the inflorescences is rich pink. The most popular is the spirea Billarda Triumphans, which blooms with crimson panicles with a refined honey aroma.
Billard's spirea (Spiraea x billardii) is a winter-hardy hybrid obtained by crossing willow spirea (Spiraea salicifolia) and Douglas spirea (Spiraea douglasii). This variety was bred in 1854 and has since become widespread. On the territory of the Russian Federation, Billard's spirea is planted from Crimea to the Arkhangelsk region.
Billard's Spiraea in landscape design
Billard's spirea goes well with many plants; it is not for nothing that it is so popular among landscape designers. Its neighbors can be other beautiful flowering shrubs and conifers. Compositions with the following plants look good:
- weigela;
- wood;
- viburnum;
- lilac;
- action;
- scumpia;
- willow;
- pine;
- spruce;
- juniper.
Billard's spirea is used in the design of rockeries, mixborders, flower beds, and also as a hedge. The bushes cover well the bare trunks of large trees and tall shrubs.
Billard's spirea can often be found within the city. The plant tolerates the gas pollution of the metropolis well and purifies the air by releasing phytoncides. Bushes are planted along fences, fences, walls - they bring comfort and do not lose their decorative effect even after flowering has ended. Billard's spirea is good both in single plantings and in group plantings, where it often plays the role of the main plant.
Planting and caring for Billard's spirea
The key to success when growing Billard's spirea is the right location, compliance with planting dates and other rules of agricultural technology. The shrub does not require special care, but it always looks elegant and involuntarily attracts the attention of even those who are far from gardening.
Preparation of planting material and site
In flower centers, seedlings are sold in special containers. 1-2 hours before planting, they are watered abundantly, and removed from the container immediately before starting work, trying to maintain the integrity of the earthen clod. Saplings with an open root system are carefully inspected for rot and similar diseases. Damaged, dry and too long roots are removed with a clean blade, and the sections are sprinkled with crushed coal to reduce the risk of infection.
The area where Billard's spirea will grow should be well lit by the sun. The culture can grow in the shade, however, in order to reach its full potential, it needs a lot of light. Billard's spirea loves rich, fertile soils with a slightly acidic or neutral pH. The soil must be loose and breathable. It is undesirable to plant spirea in areas where melt water accumulates in the spring; this is detrimental to the shrub. Billard's spirea loves moisture, but stagnation of water will inevitably affect the condition of the root system and the plant as a whole.
Billard's spirea planting rules
Billard's spirea is planted in the spring (before the buds open) and in the autumn (after the bush has completely shed its foliage). It is better to choose a cloudy, but not rainy day, or to carry out work in the evening.
The entire planting process comes down to the following manipulations:
- Dig a hole 40*40 cm, at least 30 cm deep.The recess should be ⅓ larger than the seedling's earthen ball.
- Prepare nutritious soil by mixing turf and leaf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1.
- Drainage is laid at the bottom in layers: broken brick or crushed stone, then expanded clay, and sand on top.
- A layer of nutritious soil is poured onto the drainage, a seedling is placed, and the rhizome is straightened, if necessary.
- Carefully add the remaining soil, holding the bush vertically so that the root collar is not lower than ground level.
- The earth is lightly compacted.
- The final stage of planting is abundant watering with warm, settled water.
Watering and fertilizing
The crop can do without watering if there is regular rainfall. The bushes need to be watered moderately, not overwatered. To preserve moisture, the circle around the trunk is mulched, having previously loosened the soil. It is important to consider that the root system of the shrub is superficial, so loosening must be done very carefully.
In the first 2 months after planting, the plant is not fed - there are enough minerals and organic substances in the prepared nutrient soil. In the first year, spirea needs to increase its green mass, and an infusion of mullein, bird droppings or other nitrogen-rich fertilizer can help it with this. This fertilizing is done monthly. In subsequent years, the bush is fertilized with complex mineral fertilizer:
- "AgroMaster";
- "Kemira";
- "Azofoska";
- "Plantafol".
With regular application of fertilizers to the soil, spirea can grow in one place without replanting for 15-20 years.
How to prune Billard's spirea in the fall
Caring for Billard's spirea will be incomplete without regular pruning of the crown. This procedure is not only aesthetic in nature, it is a good prevention against fungal diseases.
Spiraea are divided into 2 types:
- spring blooming (flower buds are formed on last year’s shoots);
- summer blooming (inflorescences bloom on the shoots of the current year).
It is the latter type that includes Billard's spirea, which is pruned in the fall. In spring, the bush will begin to produce new shoots more actively, and, therefore, bloom more luxuriantly.
Billard's spirea is pruned in the fall 2 weeks before the onset of frost, so that the plant has time to get stronger after the procedure. To do this, use a clean, well-sharpened pruner. All old and damaged shoots must be removed, the tips of healthy ones are shortened, giving the bush a hemispherical shape.
The first pruning is necessary 2 years after planting; rejuvenating pruning begins after 4-5 years. To rejuvenate Billard's spirea, all branches are shortened to a length of 30 cm, this stimulates the bush to produce many new strong shoots next season. If the bush is severely damaged or very old, carry out radical pruning at the root, without leaving stumps.
Preparing for winter
Billard's spirea is considered a frost-resistant plant and can withstand temperatures down to -35°C. This is only possible in the case when immediately after the thermometer dropped below zero, heavy snow fell, which would not melt until spring.In reality, it happens differently, so the bush needs careful preparation for the cold season, especially for young seedlings with an underdeveloped root system.
In autumn, watering is reduced, the circle around the trunk is freed from weed and fallen leaves, loosen and cover with a layer of mulch at least 10 cm thick. The branches of young plants are collected in a bunch, bent to the ground and secured with a metal band. A fence made of nylon mesh is placed around the bush to trap snow, and the shoots are covered with straw.
Diseases and pests
Unfortunately, Billard's spirea is loved not only by gardeners and landscape designers, but also by insects. The most common crop pests are spider mites and aphids.
The first can be identified by the characteristic cobwebs enveloping the leaves and stems, yellowed leaves that quickly fall off, microscopic bites and the general dejected state of the bush. Pest control comes down to spraying the above-ground part of the plant with an insecticide solution, for example, Karbofos or Phosfamide.
Aphids primarily attack young shoots and inflorescences, sucking out plant juices. To get rid of aphids, you can use folk remedies - soap solution, infusions of tobacco, hot pepper, and ash. In case of generalized damage to the bush, insecticides are used, in particular “Pirimor”.
You can scare away aphids from the area if you attract beneficial insects - ladybugs. To do this, the following plants are planted in the garden:
- cornflower;
- yarrow;
- calendula;
- cosmos;
- tansy;
- fennel;
- geranium.
Billard's spirea is sometimes affected by fungal infections - various types of rot, which in advanced cases can lead to the death of the entire plant. For treatment, the infected bush is treated with a fungicide solution:
- "Fitosporin"
- "Fundazol"
- "Ditan-M 45".
If no manipulations help, the plant is dug up and burned so that the disease does not spread to neighboring plantings.
Reproduction
Billard's spirea can only be propagated by vegetative methods:
- dividing the bush;
- layering;
- cuttings.
The seedlings of this hybrid do not inherit the qualities of the mother plant, therefore the seed propagation method of Billard's spirea is not used; the following are more often used.
Dividing the bush
- Overgrown spirea are dug up in the fall before the end of leaf fall.
- The bush is dug around the diameter of the crown, removed from the ground, shaken off the soil, the rhizome is washed with running water and allowed to dry.
- Using a sharp, disinfected pruner, divide the bush into 2-3 parts so that each has a good root system and several strong shoots.
- Roots that are too long are shortened, and the cuts are treated with crushed coal.
- After these manipulations, the divisions are determined to a permanent place.
Layerings
- In spring, strong woody shoots of spirea are bent to the ground and secured with hairpin-shaped wire in small grooves.
- The middle part of the shoot is sprinkled with nutrient soil and watered.
- The next year, the rooted cuttings of Billard's spirea are cut off from the mother bush with a shovel and transplanted to a permanent place.
Cuttings
- In July, last year's strong shoots without inflorescences are cut from the bush and cut into segments of 7-10 cm, each with at least 5 leaves.
- The cuttings are treated with Kornevin, planted in containers with nutrient soil at an angle of 30° and covered with film.
- For the winter, containers with young plants are placed in the garden bed and covered well.
- Next spring, Billard's spirea seedlings will produce new shoots - it's time to transplant them into the garden.
Reviews of Billard's spirea
Conclusion
Billard's spirea is a successful combination of beauty and unpretentiousness. This ornamental shrub will fit into almost any garden and will become one of its main accents.
