Common Spirea Growing Mistakes to Avoid

The spirea is a common flowering shrub that is a favorite among landscapers. It comes in multiple varieties with leaf colors that range between green and red. The flowers of the plant include white, pink, and other variations.

Spirea is easy to grow and maintain. However, even though it is easy to cultivate a spirea plant there are several common spirea growing mistakes that you will want to avoid. These mistakes include planting your spirea in an area of your yard that is in full shade, improper spacing, over fertilizing, over watering, and forgetting to deadhead spent flowers.

1. Too Much Shade

The first growing mistake that you can make with your spirea shrub is planting it in full shade. While the spirea will tolerate partial shade it is better to plant it in full sun. Full sun plantings will produce more flowers and these flowers will have more vibrant colors.

2. Improper Spacing

Another mistake that is common when growing spirea is not providing the plants with enough space to spread out. Spirea comes in a variety of sizes and spreads. The smaller varieties tend to have spreads that range between 18 to 24 inches, while the larger varieties can have spreads as wide as four to six feet. If you plant your spirea too close together you will impede their ability to grow and to produce flowers. Always give your spirea enough space to grow without colliding with their neighbor.

3. Over Fertilizing

Over fertilizing is one of the most common growing mistakes made for spirea plants. The spirea does not require a lot of food to grow healthy. They only require an annual feeding of granular all-purpose fertilizer. This feeding can be done either in the fall or in early spring. To apply the fertilizer just sprinkle the granules around the base of your spirea. If you overfeed your spirea you can end up burning the plant, which can kill it.

4. Failing to Deadhead Your Spirea

Deadheading is the process of cutting off flowers that have faded. This process isn’t a requirement for the spirea, but it can be very beneficial.

Deadheading will prevent the production of seeds in the fall and can save you a lot of cleanup work. Also, it will encourage your spirea to produce a second batch of flowers later in the season.

If you fail to deadhead your spirea it will contain both new blooms and wilted blooms which can severely impact its beauty.

5. Over Watering

The most common growing mistake that people make when growing spirea in their yards is over watering it. The spirea can thrive under most conditions; however, it does not tolerate soggy soil. It is because of this that you do not want to give your spirea too much water during the year. Spirea plants generally only need a little extra water during the summer months. The rest of the year it will be able to get the water that it needs from its natural environment.