Homeland of Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) - China, Japan.
It is a shrub up to 1–1.5 m high. Shoots in youth are tomentose-pubescent, soon bare, finely ribbed or striped, smooth, purple-brown. Leaves are oblong-ovate or elliptical, 9–11 cm long and 2.5–4 cm wide, doubly serrate-toothed, reddish and hairy in youth, later almost glabrous and bright green above, lighter below. Inflorescences are finely pubescent corymbose panicles on elongated annual shoots. Flowers range from pale to dark pink. Blooms from late June to August.
In the collection of the Scientific Research Institute the Botanical Garden of the Nizhny Novgorod State University. N.I. Lobachevsky since 1936, there is a 1966 reproduction of the sample obtained from Zimenki (Gorky region) Slightly one-year increments freeze slightly, in severe winters perennial wood, this does not affect flowering, the seeds ripen.
Decorative forms of Japanese spirea
‘Alpina ' - Low, densely branched shrub with striped, almost round, densely pubescent yellowish shoots. The leaves are dark green above and bluish below. The flowers are light pink. Blooms in July – August. Received in 1994 from Kiev. Height 0.5 m. It freezes slightly, blooms and bears fruit.
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‘Fortunei ' - The bush is up to 1.7 m high. The leaves are wrinkled above, glaucous below, glabrous, reddish when blooming. The flowers are bright pink. Inflorescences are strongly branched, softly pubescent. Blooms in July – August.
Received in 1975 from Belaya Tserkov. Usually, only the ends of annual shoots freeze slightly, in severe winters - perennial wood. It blooms and bears fruit.
‘Golden Princess' - It differs from the original species by its low growth (0.3–0.4 m), compact crown and bright color of foliage in spring, in summer it fades and slightly turns green, in autumn it becomes pinkish. Received in 1999 from Lublin (Poland). It freezes slightly. It blooms and bears fruit.
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‘Little Princess' - The bush is up to 0.6 m high (we still have 0.4 m), the crown diameter is 1.2 m, the crown is compact, round. The leaves are elliptical, dark green. Flowers pink-red, in corymbose inflorescences up to 3-4 cm in diameter. Blooms in July-August. Received in 1999 from Lublin (Poland). It freezes slightly, blooms and bears fruit.
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‘Nana ’ - It differs from the original species in its lower growth (we have 0.5 m) and a compact crown. Blooms in late June-July. Received in 2000 from Kiev. It freezes slightly, blooms.
‘Neyword '- The crown is compact, hemispherical (we have a height of 0.5 m so far), yellowish foliage, elegantly painted in autumn. Received in 1999 from Lublin (Poland). It freezes slightly, blooms profusely.
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‘Ovalifolia ' - Shrub with white flowers and elliptical bare leaves. Height 0.7 m, blooms in July.
Received in 1976 from Belaya Tserkov (Ukraine). Usually the ends of annual shoots freeze, blooms and bears fruit.
‘Ruberrima ' - Shrub with carmine-red flowers in finely pubescent inflorescences. Shoots pubescent in youth, then almost naked. Height 0.5 m, blooms in late June - July.
Received in 2001 from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The ends of the shoots freeze slightly, blooms.
‘Shirobana ' - Shrub 0.6-0.8 m high (we still have 0.4 m), crown diameter 1.2 m. The leaves are narrow-lanceolate, dark green, up to 2 cm long. The color of flowers on the same bush is from white to pink and red. Blooms from July to August; secondary flowering is noted in September. Leaves in autumn are multicolored. Received in 2004 by seedlings from Moscow. The ends of annual shoots freeze slightly, blooms.
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Photo by the author
