Need an alternative to ivy or vinca? Try Goldflame spirea.
There are so many uses for a plant that covers the ground, is deer-proof, doesn鈥檛 get too tall, has great color, is prunable, and is relaxed and soft in the landscape.
No wonder that is one of my favorites. And it's so versatile that every garden or landscape can use it well.
Since I don鈥檛 like mulch as a fashion statement in the garden, I am always on the lookout for easy groundcovers. Getting about 3+ feet tall at maturity and about 5 to 6 feet wide, this shrub can protect a newly planted ginkgo or oak from the string trimmer damage so frequently a feature of our young trees.
I plant five spireas around the base of the tree and let them all grow up together.
Corners in the landscape are often a problem, stopping the eye too sharply. A nice blousy will soften the corner without adding to the list of maintenance chores.
Slopes are a nuisance to mow, and they can get 鈥楪辞濒诲蹿濒补尘别鈥� in multiples, providing a softer, more interesting alternative to the typical solution of blue rug junipers.
With bronze spring color and a long season of dynamic fall color, 鈥楪辞濒诲蹿濒补尘别鈥� is a tame chartreuse in the summer, easily blending into the garden with brighter performers. In late spring, there are raspberry-pink flowers.
love spirea and will install egg cases on it routinely. Watch for them if keeping the 鈥楪辞濒诲蹿濒补尘别鈥� small is a goal. Just move the egg cases to another twiggy shrub for early summer hatching.
Deer in my area don鈥檛 bother spirea. A spirea hedge might direct them away from the yard and provide a nice background for perennials.
There are many spireas, from the bridal veil to the tiny-leafed and early blooming 鈥極gon鈥�. Most are solid performers. They have been useful and beautiful in landscapes for many years, some as stars and others as members of the chorus.
Next time you think you might need some ground-covering ivy or vinca, consider a instead.
Donna Williamson is a master gardener, garden designer, and garden coach. She has taught gardening and design classes at the State Arboretum of Virginia, Oatlands in Leesburg, and Shenandoah University. She鈥檚 also the founder and editor of Grandiflora Mid-Atlantic Gardening magazine, and the author of 鈥淭he Virginia Gardener鈥檚 Companion: An Insider鈥檚 Guide to Low Maintenance Gardening in Virginia.鈥澛� She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
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