Super Showy Spirea
If there’s one thing you should know about the Double Play® series of spirea, it’s that they are reliable and beautiful. From spring to fall, these tough shrubs are dazzling with color. A great example is Double Play® Red spirea (Spiraea japonica), which gives you a deep color palette that looks fabulous in so many gardens and landscapes.
In spring, Double Play® Red’s new growth emerges a rich, deep burgundy/red that really stands out in a spring garden before maturing to dark green. In late spring/early summer, red-pink flowers pop against the green foliage. At 2-3’ tall and wide, it’s a great shrub for foundation plantings, borders, or mass plantings.
This is one tough, hardworking shrub. Double Play® Red is cold hardy down to USDA zone 3 and heat tolerant to USDA zone 8. It’s also quite deer-resistant, and once established, it really only needs water when there are extended periods of time without precipitation. It grows well in full to part sun. In cooler climates, foliage and flowering will be best in full sun, while in warmer climates, it will benefit from afternoon shade.
Double Play® Red spirea doesn’t require pruning, but if shaping is desired, it can be trimmed in early spring. You can also give it a light trim after flowering to encourage more of that colorful new growth.
Thinking Ahead
If you’re thinking about packing away those gardening tools, pause for a minute. Just because it’s fall doesn’t mean you can’t do anything in the garden. In fact, there are plenty of things you can do now that will make your life easier in the springtime. Check out the episode of the Gardening Simplified Show below to learn more about what you can do in the fall to enjoy your garden more in spring, like planting a beautiful new spirea.