Content
Spiraea Magic Carpet is the common name for a group of Japanese spireas. Literally translated, magic carpet means magic carpet. And indeed it is. Spiraea of the Carpet group is a low-growing shrub, to which the word “ground cover” is more applicable.
Varieties included in the group “Japanese spirea Magic Carpet”:
1.Walbuma (Spiraea japonica Walbuma).
2. Sparkling (Spiraea japonica Sparkling Carpet).
3.Golden (Spiraea japonica Golden Carpet).
4.Green (Spiraea japonica Green Carpet).
5.White (Spiraea japonica White Carpet).
The entire variety of varieties of ornamental ground covers should be examined more carefully.
Spiraea japonica Magic Carpet
Spiraea Magik Carpet is better known as Valbuma. In 2002, it was she who was awarded the special Award of Garden Merit, awarded by the English Royal Horticultural Society. The main advantages for which spirea was awarded:
- high decorative qualities;
- ease of cultivation and care;
- resistance to fungal diseases and attacks by insect pests.
The value of the shrub lies in the original color of the leaf blades and the bright and abundant flowering period.
Description of spirea Magic Carpet
The habit of the plant is determined by the dwarf growth of the shrub, not exceeding 50 cm in height, and a dense cushion-shaped crown, spreading in shape, reaching a diameter of 1 m. During the year, the shrub is able to add only 20 cm in height. The shrub of the Magic Carpet variety has a dense, well-branched root system.
The leaf blade is of the simplest lanceolate shape, 4-5 cm long and with varying colors:
- at a younger age, the leaf blade has a red-orange tint;
- at an older age, the leaf blade has a bright yellow tint;
- By autumn the color changes to the color of young leaves.
The peduncles are small, with a rich pink tint, in the shape of a dense shield, with a diameter of no more than 5-6 cm. Valbuma blooms from late June to early September. The shrub is capable of bearing fruit; the fruits have the shape of small leaflets and ripen from September to October.
Spiraea Walbum is endowed with several more positive qualities:
- Smoke resistance.
- Gas resistance.
- Frost resistance.
These characteristic features should become a decisive factor when purchasing Magic Carpet spirea seedlings by residents of large cities and small towns.
Spiraea Japanese Magic Carpet in landscape design
The photo shows how Magic Carpet spirea fits perfectly into landscape design of the site. It fits harmoniously into group plantings (photo 2), and can decorate the garden as a single plant, especially during the flowering period (photos 3, 4). A good combination can be obtained by planting shrubs in architectural forms near lawns (photo 1).
By planting Magic Carpet along garden paths (the distance between holes is from 30 cm to 50 cm), you can get a wonderful low border. You can safely use Valbuma when creating rockeries, rock gardens and flower beds.
The only condition for planting and planning the place will be the presence of sunlight. Spiraea Magic Carpet prefers areas with direct sunlight, but also easily copes with slight shading. The leaf blade of Magic Carpet fades in the shade and can completely change color.
Planting and caring for Magic Carpet spirea
When purchasing spirea seedlings from the Carpet group, you should pay close attention to the condition of the plant’s roots.
If the seedling was purchased with an OCS (open root system), then it should be carefully examined - the root shoots should be moist, not dry. Flexible shoots must have living buds. When planting, the root shoots are shortened to 23-25 cm.
If the seedling was purchased in a pot with a closed root system, then good watering before planting will be enough to remove it from the container.
Valbuma blooms only in summer, so it is better to plant new bushes in early spring before the buds bloom on the trees. This process occurs differently in different regions, but it’s worth focusing on March-April.
The shrub is unpretentious to the soil, but it will develop better on fertile, drained, moderately moist soils with a neutral acid reaction. On hot sunny days it requires good moisture.
Before planting shrubs, it is necessary to dig holes in advance at a distance of 50 cm from one another. During the growth process, the root shoots expand well, so the width of the planting hole should be 3 times larger than the size of the root shoots. One bayonet of a shovel will be enough to go deep.
Planting holes should be dug 2 days before planting the shrub. Then a small layer of broken crushed stone or brick is poured onto the bottom as drainage. The earthen substrate necessary for the normal development and survival of seedlings is prepared in a ratio of 4:2:2 from the following components:
- garden soil;
- river sand;
- high peat
Part of the substrate is poured over the drainage, having previously straightened all the root shoots, the seedling is buried in the hole and sprinkled with the rest of the substrate on top.
After planting, the soil is compacted and watered - at least 20 liters of water per seedling.
The Magic Carpet spirea seedling is very demanding when it comes to frequent and abundant watering. After 1.5-2 weeks, when the plant takes root, watering is reduced, but the volume is not reduced - 13-16 liters of water for each seedling once every 15 days. After watering, it is necessary to loosen the tree trunk circle while simultaneously removing all weeds.
Magic Carpet has no special requirements for further care. To stimulate a second flowering, you need to trim off the faded inflorescences. The formation of the crown of the bush is carried out in May of the following year after planting.Trim off all dead wood and damaged shoots. Healthy shoots are shortened to the first healthy buds. Rejuvenation of the bush is carried out 4 years after planting by cutting shoots from the ground surface to no more than 30 cm.
In early spring, it is necessary to mulch the soil under the bush. Mulch includes high-moor peat, compost and crushed pine bark. Before preparing for winter, mulch should be incorporated into the ground.
Fertilizer application is necessary in the summer, after planting. For summer feeding of the first year of vegetation and spring feeding of the second year, you will need complex fertilizer (NPK 20:20:20). Apply by watering at the root once every 3 weeks. From August onwards, root feeding with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer is required (once every 2.5 weeks). A good solution would be to foliarize Magic Carpet spirea throughout the summer - 2 times a month.
Spirea Sparkling Carpet
Another representative of the ground cover spireas of the Carpet group is Sparkling Carpet, which is the lowest of all the “carpets”.
Description of spirea Sparkling Carpet
The habit of the plant fully justifies its name - the growth of the shrub does not exceed 30 cm in height, with a dense, at the same time rounded and flattened crown, ellipsoidal in shape, reaching a width of 40 cm. The crown grows by 10 cm within 5 years. The shrub has a small but well-developed root system.
The leaf plate is small in size, up to 2 cm long, with barely visible serrations along the edges. Color can change throughout the season:
- in the spring – orange gold color;
- in summer – lemon gold color;
- in autumn – a kaleidoscope of fiery red and orange tones.
The flowers are very small, rich pink in color, shield-shaped, with a size of no more than 3 cm. The “Sparkling Carpet” is able to show its flower stalks only from June to July.
Spirea Sparkling Carpet in landscape design
Small bushes of Japanese spirea Sparkling Carpet are indispensable in creating landscape compositions. Group compact planting of shrubs will allow you to get a dense and bright carpet. Can be used as a cover for bare trunks of tall bushes and trees. A good solution would be to create a decorative border using the “sparkling” ground cover of the Carpet group.
Planting and care
The variety easily tolerates short-term shading, but it is better to choose a place with constant sunlight. Although the “sparkling carpet” is not whimsical, it is better to choose an area with loose, fertile and moderately moist soil.
In the spring, in the second year of planting, it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning of the shoots, shortening them to a height of 18-20 cm from ground level. In the summer, dry inflorescences are pruned - this will preserve the decorative appearance of the crown.
Agricultural techniques for a dwarf are no different from Valbuma.
Spiraea japonica Golden Carpet
Another representative of the “carpet” spirea is Golden Carpet. “Golden carpet”, literally translated, means golden carpet. And this is the most accurate characteristic of a ground cover.
Description of spirea Golden Carpet
We must thank Canadian breeders for the appearance of this species of shrub. The variety of tall spirea “Golden Princess” taken as a basis made it possible to develop a low-growing ground cover that became a smaller copy of the mother plant.Before we begin to describe the Golden Carpet spirea, looking at the photo below, you can notice some similarities between the two shrubs.
In appearance, the plant looks more like a small hummock, up to 40 cm high and wide, with densely spaced creeping shoots and a huge potential for the appearance of lateral branches from the axils of each internode.
The “golden carpet” does not differ in growth rate. The root system is small in size, but has the ability to grow quickly.
The leaf plate has a simple oval shape and is not large in size. The maximum leaf length is 2 cm, and the width is 1 cm. Looking closely at the branches, you can see how symmetrically the leaves are located on them. Throughout the season, the leaves do not change their color - a bright yellow gold color.
The flowers are very small, pale pink, unsightly in appearance. When gathered together, they form a shield with a total diameter of no more than 3 cm. It blooms for a short time (only 3 days), but all summer - from June to September. Does not form seeds or fruits. Propagated only by cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.
Spiraea Golden Carpet in landscape design
Thanks to its bright color, the use of the “golden dwarf”, the Carpet group, in landscape design becomes simply irreplaceable. Golden hummocks also look impressive in single (solitary) plantings, but there’s no need to even talk about group compositions. Looks great on rocky alpine hills, flower beds, and along borders.
A prerequisite for planting planning is the presence of sunlight. This type of spirea prefers sunny areas, but easily tolerates short shading. In the shade, the leaf blade completely changes color to green.
Planting and caring for Japanese spirea Golden Carpet
Fertile, drained soils with a neutral acid reaction (PH = 7) are suitable for planting Golden Carpet spirea. Even short-term stagnation of water masses will be disastrous for the bush.
Sanitary pruning should be carried out only in early spring of next year.
Spirea Green Carpet
One of the rarest varieties of spirea of the Carpet group, of magnificent shape, created through the efforts of Canadian breeders. When planted in groups, this ground cover resembles an airy carpet, which directly corresponds to its name - a green carpet.
Description of spirea Green Carpet
In appearance, the plant looks like a small green tubercle, up to 20 cm in height and with a maximum diameter of up to 30-35 cm, round in shape. This ground cover (just like Golden Carpet) forms lateral branches from the axils of each node. Green Carpet is no different in its growth rate - it can grow only 10 cm annually. The root shoots are small in size, but capable of growing.
From the photo you can see that the leaf blade of the Green Carpet spirea has a simple shape. Quite small, no more than 1 cm long and 2 cm wide. A closer look at the leafy branch will allow you to notice the symmetry of the arrangement of the leaves, with an absolutely unchanged color throughout the season - this is a bright color of rich greenery. By autumn, the color of the leaf blade changes to a paler color.
The flower stalks are very small and inconspicuous, pink in color with a green tint, in the form of a dense thyroid shell, no more than 2 cm in size. It blooms briefly (only 3 days), but with constant frequency. You can notice a blooming green carpet not only in June, but also in September.Seeds and fruits are not produced on this shrub.
Spiraea Green Carpet in landscape design
In landscape design, the Green Carpet shrub plays a huge role, so any landscape design bureau cannot do without spirea of this variety. Canadian and American designers have fallen in love with the green bush and always use it for golf course projects.
In Russia, golf courses are not very popular, so this ground cover spirea is planted on rocky alpine hills, along paths and borders. Spiraea Green Carpet looks spectacular in solitary and group plantings.
Planting and care
Seedlings of this spirea variety are sold only with a closed root system. When planting, the seedling is transferred from the pot into a pre-prepared hole. The planting site should be sunny or with short-term shade. Soil with only neutral acid reaction. The variety is frost-resistant and does not require additional shelter for the winter. Sanitary pruning of branches should be carried out no more than once every 3 years. Otherwise, care for Green Carpet is identical to Spirea Valbuma. Does not reproduce by seeds.
Spirea White Carpet
Planting White Carpet shrubs will add a touch of tenderness to the garden. During flowering, this shrub resembles an airy white cloud.
Description of Spirea White Carpet
The White Carpet variety shrub reaches a height of 50 cm with a diameter of no more than 85 cm. The shoots are creeping, capable of covering the ground with a white carpet (White Carpet translated from English means white carpet).
The leaf plate is small in size, elongated in the shape of an ellipse, up to 3 cm long.The upper surface of the leaf is a rich green color, while the lower surface has a slightly bluish tint.
The White Carpet spirea blooms in May and lasts until the end of September. The peduncles are gathered together and form the shape of an armored shield. The size of the flower itself is very small and reaches no more than 1.5 cm in diameter. Possible seed formation.
Spiraea White Carpet in landscape design
In landscape design, White Carpet spirea is used more as a ground cover in group and single plantings. The wide distribution and popularity of White Carpet was achieved due to its unpretentiousness and minimal maintenance when landscaping city squares and front gardens of industrial enterprises.
Planting and care
White Carpet thrives in the sun and slightly shaded areas. There are no strong requirements for watering. The only condition for this ground cover is the absence of stagnation of water in the soil.
Sanitary pruning of White Carpet spirea is carried out annually and only in early spring.
Reproduction of spirea
Absolutely all methods of propagation are suitable for Japanese spireas of the Carpet group:
- Generative, propagation by seeds.
- Vegetative, propagation by layering, cuttings and dividing the bush.
Of all the above methods, the most popular, reliable and highly effective are propagation by layering and dividing the bush. These methods are the fastest and least costly in terms of time and labor, but all reproduction options should be considered in more detail.
Growing spirea shrubs of the Carpet group from seeds is suitable for those who like to experiment.
To plant spirea seeds you will need a wooden skewer or toothpick.In spring, small seeds are placed on the surface of the substrate (preliminary stratification of the planting material is not needed). The substrate is prepared from 4 parts neutralized peat and 1 part vermiculite. After placement, the seeds must be carefully spilled and covered with polyethylene or glass. The container is placed on the western or northern side of the shady garden. After the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed. When the seedlings reach 2 cm in height, they need to be pruned.
When picking, a long root is pinched to 1/3 of its length, after which it is planted in a separate container. Pots with small seedlings are kept in the shade of large trees until autumn. For the winter, the pots can be brought into a cool room and planted in a permanent place in the ground in the spring.
Cuttings of spirea must be carried out in the autumn months (September or October):
- From the spirea bush, the strongest shoots are pruned, which need to be cut into pieces.
- Each part must have at least 5 sheets.
- The lower leaf plates must be removed, all except the petiole, and the rest must be shortened exactly 2 times.
- The cuttings are placed in a container with a root former solution (kornevin, heteroauxin) for 3 hours.
- The cuttings are planted in a substrate consisting of 1 part of high-moor peat and 2 parts of river sand at an angle of 45 °, deepening only 2 cm.
- The planted spirea cuttings are spilled with a root-forming solution, covered with a transparent container and placed in a shaded place.
- During rooting, cuttings must be sprayed and watered.
- When the first cold weather sets in, the cuttings should be dug into the soil, covered with fallen leaves and covered with a wooden or plastic box.
- In the spring, spirea cuttings should be grown in a common bed and only transplanted to a permanent place in the fall.
To propagate spirea of the Carpet group by layering, it is necessary to bend the lower shoots to the ground in early spring, secure them and cover them with earth, leaving only the tip of the shoot on the surface. This method is quite applicable for young root shoots. Over the course of the summer, the cuttings develop, and by the fall, full-fledged single seedlings are obtained. In the fall, the cuttings are dug up and transplanted to a permanent place.
Propagation by dividing spirea bushes is best done from August to September. A prerequisite after division is cool air or more shade. The spirea bush is dug up, covering at least 65% of the crown projection, and some of the roots will be cut off.
The root system is washed well under running water. Root cuttings are well straightened and divided into parts. Each of them should have 3 strong shoots and a sufficient number of roots. Long root branches are shortened, treated with ash and planted in pre-prepared recesses. Watering is carried out every day on sunny days or once every 7 days when it is cloudy.
Diseases and pests of Japanese spirea
Japanese spirea shrubs of the Carpet group are more resistant to fungal diseases, but can sometimes be affected by spotted fungus or gray mold spores. Fungicide preparations will help cope with this problem:
- foundationazole;
- Bordeaux mixture;
- colloidal sulfur.
Sometimes the decorative ground covers of the “carpet” group of spireas encounter trouble in the form of an invasion of insect pests: blue meadowsweet sawfly, spirea aphids, whiteflies and spider mites. Preparations of the insecticidal-acaricidal spectrum will help to cope with these troubles:
- decis-pro;
- inta-vir;
- Bi-58;
- Fitoverm;
- actophyte;
- kinmix.
Conclusion
Spiraea Magic Carpet is an absolutely unpretentious shrub that can decorate the landscape of any garden plot. Any of the spirea varieties of the Carpet group can bloom already on the shoots of the first year of vegetation, which further enhances the beauty and popularity of these varieties. When choosing spirea from the Carpet group, you should remember that they tolerate Russian winters well and do not freeze out without additional shelter.
There is no doubt when choosing - minimal care and durability of the plant will make the garden sparkle with a varied palette of colors.
