Over the weekend we went to visit family at my in-laws’ house for Easter. While there I saw this amazing flowering display on the Bridal Wreath Spirea (Spiraea x vanhouttei). It was literally covered in branches of white blooms.
They planted this spirea well over 10 years ago. I really can’t say exactly how long it’s been here (it’s not a secret, I just don’t remember), but it is one well established shrub. You can tell it’s been happy in this location. This area of Tennessee has a lot of limestone outcroppings in the ground, cedar glades, and heavy clay soil. Despite these issues the Bridal Wreath Spirea has performed exceedingly well!
Where is Bridal Mound Spirea Native to?
This spirea a native plant of Asia, particularly in China and Korea. The ideal situation is to site the plant where it can have loamy soil for it—maybe slightly acidic—in a full sun location. It’s hardiness is rated for zones 5 through 8, and Tennessee fits that perfectly with our Zone 7 areas.
You can see there are lots of flowers all over each of these stems, covering the plant in what looks like a big bridal wreath, which is probably where it gets its name. There are lots of little bees all over it right now that are enjoying the pollen from this spirea.
Best Growing Conditions for Spirea
It’s best to plant this where it can get some room. It really would probably grow somewhere between 6 and 8 feet tall and around. It’s nestled in between this boxwood hedge and a little garden area. If you have a full sun location for it that’s nice and out in the open, it’ll look amazing out in that spot too.
How to Propagate Spirea?
Spireas like the bridal wreath spirea here—or other spireas—all propagate very well. You just need a little bit of a cutting, somewhere between three and four inches. Stick it in a little bit of rooting hormone, put it in your medium, and then it should be fine. In probably about six to eight weeks or so, it should start to have some roots on it. See here for more info on Propagating Spirea.
Is It Invasive?
A lot of times when you get a plant that comes from another country, particularly Asia, you worry about its invasiveness. And you would be right to worry. There are so many plants from Asia that dominate our local flora, but this plant does not spread. This particular spirea pretty much has stayed where it was planted. There’s always chance you could get some seedlings from it eventually, but I think that chance is fairly low. Keep in mind that an invasive plant may be invasive in one area and not another so always check your local resources for more info before planting new shrubs and trees.
This article was adapted from this video. Would rather see the video version please look below!
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