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Spiraea Goldmound is a low-growing ornamental shrub of the deciduous group. The plant is highly valued in landscape design for the fact that it retains its attractive appearance until the first frost, which allows you to add color to a faded autumn garden. This shrub is especially popular among gardeners due to the low price of planting material and the unpretentiousness of the variety.
An undoubted advantage is the resistance of Goldmound spirea to air pollution - this quality allows you to grow the plant not only outside the city, but also as a decoration for city parks and playgrounds.
Description of Spirea Goldmound
Spiraea japonica Goldmound is represented by a low cushion-shaped bush, as seen in the photo below. The height of the bush is on average 50-60 cm, diameter is about 80 cm. Spiraea leaves are elongated, narrowed at one end and jagged along the edge. They are shaped like an egg. The crown of the bush is dense. The color of the leaf blade of this variety varies depending on time and growing conditions:
- young, newly blossomed leaves have a pinkish-red color;
- in summer, spirea changes its color to golden yellow when grown in open, well-lit areas;
- during the same period, the plant can be painted in delicate light green tones if it is grown in the shade;
- By autumn, the color of the leaves smoothly turns into an orange-red hue.
The flowering of the variety begins in June and ends by the end of July. The flowers of Spiraea japonica Goldmound are small and pale pink. They form dense inflorescences in the form of scutes on the shoots of the current year. In October, small fruits form in place of these flowers.
Spirea Goldmound in landscape design
This variety is used in landscape design to create flower arrangements on the lawn, dense borders, curtains, rock gardens and rockeries. Spirea Goldmound also looks impressive in single plantings. In addition, the shrub is often grown in wooden containers as a decoration for a terrace in a summer cottage.
Planting and caring for Japanese spirea Goldmound
Planting spirea of the Goldmound variety and subsequent care of the plant is not particularly difficult. This garden crop is undemanding to the composition and quality of the soil, although it prefers well-drained, moderately moist soils. The variety grows best on loamy and sandy loam soil of low acidity, but also develops well on other types.
Spiraea Goldmound is thermophilic, so when choosing a place to plant shrubs, you should focus on well-lit areas. With a lack of light, the bush changes its color from rich golden to light green.
Preparation of planting material and site
Spiraea seedlings must be carefully inspected before planting and unsuitable ones should be discarded. Healthy plants bend easily, have a greenish tint to the bark and moist roots without black spots on the cuts.
Immediately before planting, planting material must be disinfected - this will help reduce the risk of the bush becoming infected with fungus to a minimum. For disinfection, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The area chosen for planting spirea is dug up 1-2 weeks before and organic fertilizers are added to the soil.
Rules for planting spirea Goldmound
Spirea of the Goldmound variety is planted in open ground at the end of March. The procedure is very simple:
- In a previously prepared area, dig a hole about 40-50 cm deep. In this case, you should focus on the size of the root system of the bush - the hole is dug with a margin of about 20%.
- Drainage in the form of broken bricks or gravel is placed at the bottom of the planting hole.
- A soil mixture of peat, sand and turf soil is placed on top of the drainage, and a small hill is formed from it.
- A seedling is placed on this hill and the roots of the spirea are spread along its slopes.
- Then the root system is sprinkled with the top layer of soil from the site.
- Planting is completed with moderate watering.
Watering and fertilizing
The drought resistance of the variety is average, so spirea bushes must be watered regularly. Otherwise, drying out soil will inhibit the growth of shrubs.
Spiraea is fed mainly on poor soils. When planted in fertile soil, the variety develops well without additional cultivation of the site.
Special mulching compounds or organic fertilizers are used as fertilizers. They are introduced into the soil once a year - in the spring.
Trimming
It is recommended to prune Goldmound spirea once every 30-40 days, however, this procedure automatically excludes subsequent flowering of the bush. That is why before planting a shrub, it is necessary to determine its role. Abundantly flowering forms are not pruned, unlike decorative deciduous ones.
Sanitary pruning is carried out in order to preserve the shape of the bush. To do this, only dry and broken branches are removed. Healthy shoots are not touched.
You can learn more about the features of pruning spirea from the video below:
Preparing for winter
All varieties of spirea are considered quite cold-resistant plants. Nevertheless, it is recommended to cover young seedlings for the winter, since they are still weak and are not able to safely overwinter without protection.
Dry leaves or sawdust are used as shelter, which are sprinkled on shoots bent to the ground in a layer of up to 15 cm.
Reproduction
The most effective way to propagate the Goldmound variety is by cuttings. Both green and woody cuttings are suitable for this.
The reproduction procedure in this case looks like this:
- In summer, a young non-flowering shoot is selected from the bush and cut at the base.
- This section is divided into several more parts of 15 cm, no more.
- The resulting cuttings are cleared of leaves at the bottom and buried in the ground. For this it is better to use a greenhouse.
- The plantings are covered with plastic film to create a greenhouse effect. It is important to make small holes in the shelter for air ventilation.
- As the cuttings develop, they are regularly sprayed with a spray bottle.
- In October, planting material is moved into open ground.
Young spirea can also be propagated by dividing the bush. Old bushes are not suitable for this.
The algorithm for dividing the bush is as follows:
- A young bush is dug out of the ground, focusing on the diameter of the crown. Damage to roots that are too long and extend beyond the specified area is allowed. When extracting the plant, try not to destroy the earthen lump.
- Then the spirea is lowered into a bucket or bowl of water for 1-2 hours. This is necessary so that the soil becomes softer - this will make it easier to clean the root system of the plant.
- The roots are watered with a hose, removing the soil from them, after which the spirea is taken out of the water and laid on its side.
- Using a sharp knife or garden shears, divide the common root system into 2-3 equal parts. Each division should have a sufficient number of buds and approximately the same volume of roots.
- The resulting parts are planted in pre-moistened holes and sprinkled with earth.
- The tree trunk area is lightly compacted and mulched.
Soon after planting, the division takes root.
Reproduction by seed occurs according to the following scheme:
- In spring, seeds are sown in wooden or plastic containers with pre-moistened soil. Recommended substrate composition: leaf soil and high-moor peat, mixed in a 1:1 ratio.
- The soil surface is mulched with peat for better moisture retention.
- After 8-10 days, the first shoots appear. They are immediately sprayed with Fundazol to protect against fungal infections.
- After 2-3 months, the seedlings are planted in separate containers.
- When spirea seedlings have formed a full-fledged root system, they can be planted in open ground.
- To do this, take them out of the containers and slightly shorten the roots.
- Then the seedlings are buried in dug up loose soil.
- Plantings are watered and mulched.
After 1 year, the height of the seedling should reach 10-15 cm. In subsequent years, the rate of development of the shrub increases.
Diseases and pests
The description of the Japanese spirea variety Goldmound states that the plant’s resistance to diseases and pests is high. It rarely gets sick and is not subject to significant insect attacks. And yet, sometimes bushes are affected by spider mites.
The invasion of this pest is indicated by the appearance of whitish spots on the outside of the leaf blade and the subsequent drying of the shoots. If nothing is done, the bush will soon begin to shed its leaves. Ultimately, the spirea may die.
Spider mites pose the greatest threat in hot, dry summers, in August. In order to get rid of it, the bushes are sprayed with Ares.
Conclusion
Spiraea Goldmound is a tough, cold-resistant plant that even an amateur gardener can grow. Shrub care comes down to the most basic procedures, and the universal round shape of spirea allows it to be combined with many other garden crops. In particular, Goldmound spirea looks good in combination with coniferous shrubs and trees.
