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In Siberia you can often find flowering shrubs spirea This plant tolerates severe frosts and harsh winters well. However, when choosing spirea for planting in Siberia, you should pay attention to the varieties. Some of them are quite thermophilic. By following all the rules for planting and caring for spirea in Siberia, you can grow a beautiful plant.
Features of growing spirea in Siberia
Most varieties of shrubs tolerate frost well, so they are often grown in Siberia and other northern regions. The plant is unpretentious and blooms profusely with proper care. All it needs is proper watering, fertile soil and plenty of sunlight.
Shrubs planted in the fall are covered for the winter. Prune the plant in the off-season.
Planting in spring is carried out only after the soil has warmed up sufficiently. In the fall, it is advisable to do this before October.
To plant spirea in Siberia, choose a place well lit by the sun. Thanks to this, the plant will actively grow, bloom luxuriantly and bear fruit.
Spiraea varieties for Siberia
There are many species that tolerate frost well.Below are the most frost-resistant varieties of spirea, most suitable for growing in Siberia with photos.
- Gray Greifsheim. Arched, densely branched shrub. The height reaches one meter. The first leaves appear in May. The fruits ripen at the end of June. Spiraea is popular among gardeners in Siberia, as it tolerates severe frosts well.
- Rosea (pink). The bush reaches a height and diameter of 1.5 m. The flowers are of a beautiful pink hue, collected in paniculate inflorescences. The peculiarity of the variety is its high resistance to severe frosts.
- Wangutta. The variety is unpretentious and has high frost resistance. The shrub reaches 2 m in diameter and height. Small flowers are collected in hemispherical inflorescences and located along the entire length of the shoots.
- Billard. A popular species for growing in Siberia. The shrub reaches a height of 2 m. Small pink flowers are collected in cone-shaped inflorescences. It has excellent shade tolerance and frost resistance.
- Spiraea oakleaf. An unpretentious plant variety that can grow even on rocky soil. Widely distributed in Siberia. It is a low shrub with small flowers collected in spherical inflorescences.
Planting and caring for spirea in Siberia
Before planting, the seedlings are carefully examined: the roots must be dry and flexible, there must be buds and no mechanical damage. Roots that are too long are trimmed. If they are slightly dry, the seedlings are placed in a bucket of water and left for a while.
For the plant, dig a hole 50 cm wide and deep. Drainage is laid at the bottom: pebbles, brick fragments and expanded clay. Its layer must be at least 15 cm.To plant the seedling, prepare a substrate of sand, peat and leaf soil in proportions 1:1:2. The plant is placed vertically in the hole, the roots are straightened and sprinkled with the prepared mixture, leaving the neck at surface level. Then mulching and watering are carried out. When planting several plants, leave a distance of half a meter between them.
Caring for spirea consists of watering, loosening, mulching, fertilizing and pruning. In Siberian conditions, the plant is watered once a month, adding approximately 15 liters of water under the bush. In dry summers, the procedure is carried out twice. The soil around the trunk must be loosened so that the root system can breathe.
In the spring, spirea is fed with the drug “Kemira” at the rate of 120 g per square meter. m. In the second half of summer, an infusion of cow grass is used for this, adding 10 g of superphosphate to 10 liters of solution.
Formative pruning is performed once, then only corrective pruning. Frozen tips of branches are removed in the spring. After flowering, damaged and dry shoots are cut off.
Shrubs are sprayed with tobacco infusion, a decoction of marigolds or hot peppers, which will protect them from pests. In advanced cases, insecticides are used.
Landing dates
In autumn, any varieties of spirea are planted. The most favorable conditions for this are cloudy autumn weather. The main thing is to have time to plant the plant before the end of leaf fall. In Siberia, this process must be completed before October. Varieties that bloom in summer can be planted in spring. This must be done before the first sheets appear.
Preparation of planting material and site
Its growth and flowering depend on the selection and high-quality preparation of spirea seedlings and the correct location for planting the plant.
First of all, you need to purchase high-quality and healthy spirea seedlings, which are ideally suited to the climatic conditions of Siberia. It is recommended to buy planting material only in nurseries or garden centers that specialize in plant breeding.
Spiraea seedlings are carefully examined. Shoots without leaves and swollen buds are suitable. The root system of the plant should be elastic, without signs of rotting or mold. It is better to purchase shoots in containers that can be planted at any time.
To achieve the most lush and abundant flowering, you need to choose the right place for planting. A hill well lit by the sun is best suited for this. It is not recommended to plant spirea shrubs near fruit trees and close to each other, as they have a branched rhizome. The soil must be fertile, nutritious and light so that it has good air permeability. When planting in the spring, the soil is dug up in the fall, adding natural organic matter or complex mineral fertilizers.
Rules for planting spirea in Siberia
Spiraea seedlings are planted in Siberia both in spring and autumn, depending on the flowering period of the selected variety. Plants that bloom in spring are planted in late August or September. In spring - late-flowering varieties.
A couple of days before the start of work, the pits are prepared. The depth must be at least 70 cm, and the width is determined depending on the size of the rhizome and the plant variety. If you plan to plant a hedge, leave a distance of at least half a meter between the bushes.
A layer of drainage is poured at the bottom of each pit, which is used as expanded clay or broken brick.
Bare-rooted seedlings are placed in a container of water for some time before planting. Shrubs in containers are watered abundantly. The shoots are pruned and the roots are shortened.
The soil is mixed with mineral fertilizers. Part of the nutrient mixture is poured into the hole, forming a small mound. A spirea seedling is placed on it and sprinkled with soil, gently compacting it with your hands. Form a shaft and water the plant abundantly. A layer of peat is poured around the trunk.
Watering and fertilizing
Even though spirea is a drought-resistant plant, it still needs watering. About once a month, pour a bucket of water under the plant. In hot weather, the procedure is carried out twice a month. Seedlings and young plants planted in spring need a lot of moisture.
To ensure abundant flowering, spirea must be fertilized regularly. Mineral and organic fertilizers are applied in the spring before flowering. At the beginning of summer, the bush is fed with complete mineral fertilizers. Phosphorus-potassium without nitrogen is applied in late summer and autumn.
Trimming
It is carried out at different periods, depending on the purpose.
- In the spring, sanitary pruning is performed. Remove frozen and dry branches.
- Formative. Spireas that bloom on shoots in summer are pruned in the spring, immediately after the snow has melted, combining them with sanitary measures. Remove thin branches to thin out the bush. Varieties whose height does not exceed 40 cm are cut into 2 buds. Shoots with leaves that do not match the color of the variety are removed. Seed boxes, if it is not planned to collect seeds, are removed after flowering. This procedure stimulates re-blooming.The green hedge is trimmed to give it the required shape. Spiraea, which bloom in spring, is formed after flowering by cutting off shoots at the level of strong young growth. The crown of the bush should have a symmetrical shape.
- Rejuvenating. Conducted on an adult plant, 7 years after planting. All old shoots are removed, leaving no more than seven young shoots, while trying to maintain the symmetry of the bush. This type of pruning is carried out in several stages so as not to weaken the bush.
How to prepare spirea for winter in Siberia
Preparing spirea for winter in Siberia has some features. Young seedlings are covered before frost. This is done in the following way: the branches are tied into a bundle, bent to the ground and fixed with special fasteners, covered with dry leaves, and snow is thrown on top. Before sheltering spirea for the winter in Siberia, experienced gardeners recommend treating the plant against pests.
Low-growing varieties tolerate winter well under snow.
Plant propagation
The plant is propagated in several ways: by seed, cuttings and branching.
- Seed method. Mostly hybrid varieties are propagated in this way. Seeds are collected from brown, but not opened, boxes. They are picked and left to ripen for 2 weeks. Then carefully remove the seeds. The box or container is filled with peat and moistened well. Seeds are sown in it and covered with glass or film. The container is left in a warm, illuminated place. As soon as the seeds sprout, the film is removed and germination continues, watering periodically. After the formation of 3 leaves, the seedlings are planted in separate pots.
- Cuttings. Early flowering varieties of spirea are cut at the beginning of summer, late flowering ones - at the end of June and July.When using lignified cuttings, the procedure is carried out in October-November. Choose a strong, straight shoot and cut it off. Then they divide into the required number of cuttings so that each has 5 leaves. The lower pair along with the cuttings are completely removed, the rest - half. Small cuts are made on the lower part and placed in an epin solution for 12 hours. The lower node is lightly sprinkled with root. Suitable containers are filled with soil and spirea cuttings are rooted at a slight angle. Cover with a glass jar and leave in a shaded place. The cuttings are sprayed with water twice a day. For the winter, they are dug into the garden bed and left until spring. Replant only after the appearance of young shoots.
- Taps. The simplest and most effective method. Spiraea is propagated using this method in the spring. Strong lateral shoots are selected from the bush and bent to the ground, having previously made furrows. A small incision is made at the point of contact, which will ensure rapid emergence of roots. Sprinkle with soil so that only the top remains on the surface. In the fall, the cuttings are removed and divided into the required number of young shoots and planted in a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
Spiraea is practically not susceptible to disease. In damp summers, the plant may be affected by gray mold or powdery mildew. To prevent, shrubs are treated with colloidal sulfur, Fitosporin or copper-containing fungicides.
The most common pests: spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, blue meadowsawfly. Insectoacaricides are used against the first: Metaphos. The rest are fought with the help of Actellik and Fitoverm.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for spirea in Siberia does not require special skills.The plant is unpretentious and tolerates severe frosts well. In landscape design, spirea is used to form hedges and borders.
