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If you had to rank the most popular shrubs in landscape design, then, undoubtedly, the Japanese spirea would take one of the leading positions. And there is nothing surprising here, because this plant is an example of decorativeness, unpretentiousness and versatility. One of the representatives of the genus, the Japanese spirea Frobeli, has firmly taken its place both in modern garden catalogs and in the hearts of true connoisseurs of decorative crops.
Description of Japanese Spirea Frobeli
Japanese Spiraea Froebelii (Spiraea japonica Froebelii) is a compact decorative and deciduous and at the same time flowering shrub. When blooming, young leaves have a purple hue, which changes to dark green by the beginning of summer. In mid-July, the Frobeli variety, like all Japanese spireas, blooms with dense corymbose inflorescences.
Spirea Frobeli is distinguished by their large size and rich dark pink color. The flowering period is long – until mid-September, but even in autumn the decorative effect does not decrease due to the acquisition of bronze-red leaves by the leaves.
The height of the Japanese spirea Frobeli is up to 120 cm, the width of the bush in diameter is about the same. Thus, the Frobeli spirea has a spherical shape, which, for greater effectiveness, is recommended to be emphasized by annual pruning.
Spiraea Japanese Frobeli in landscape design
All Japanese spireas easily fit into the look of the garden, due to their compact shape, spectacular appearance, malleability in shaping and a variety of varieties. Most often, designers suggest using them as low sheared borders, as part of tree and shrub compositions, in rocky gardens, in front flower beds, and much less often in solitary plantings.
Spirea Japanese Frobeli in any role will not go unnoticed, thanks to the spectacular spring-autumn coloring of the foliage and magnificent summer raspberry-pink blooms. The neat shape of the bush is maintained by a uniform growth of no more than 8-10 cm per year. Win-win Japanese spirea Frobeli looks next to coniferous crops, barberries, cinquefoils, hosts and other types and varieties of spirea.
Planting and caring for the Japanese Frobeli spirea
When purchasing seedlings of Japanese spirea in nurseries and garden centers, plants in containers (CCS) should be preferred, because they take root faster and better in a new place. If buds are found on the acquired shrub, then they must be removed so as not to weaken such a young Japanese spirea Frobeli, as in the photo below. Planting a shrub and caring for it should be disassembled in stages.
Planting site and seedling preparation
Spirea is an unpretentious shrub that easily tolerates insufficiently fertile soils and poor lighting. Spiraea Japanese Frobeli will grow and even bloom well with as little as 3-4 hours of direct sun per day. But, nevertheless, she will prefer a lighter area and it is on it that she will show her best qualities.
Japanese spirea will not tolerate stagnant water, so you should not plant it in natural relief depressions and on heavy clay soils. If there is no choice, then it is necessary to make a drainage layer of broken brick or rubble in the planting pit, or place the Frobel spirea on embankments, retaining walls and other artificial elevations.
Plants with ACS are planted in early spring (before bud break) or autumn (before leaf fall). Spiraea Japanese Frobeli in a container can be planted at any stage of the active growing season. A pit for a plant up to 40 cm deep is prepared a week or more before the expected planting date. A seedling is kept a few hours before in a solution of Kornevin or another root formation stimulator. Japanese spirea plants with ZKS are abundantly shed with the same preparation before planting.
Rules of landing
If necessary, drainage is laid at the bottom of the pit with a layer of about 10 cm, and then filled with prepared soil, consisting of 50% of fertile soil and a mixture of peat and sand taken in equal parts. The soil is abundantly moistened and a bush is planted so that its root neck is not below the surface layer or is 2-3 cm above it. The soil is well compacted around the trunk and again spilled from the watering can so that the earth settles.
Watering and top dressing
Japanese spirea is not demanding on moisture, but in the year of planting it requires a more careful attitude than in all subsequent ones. The frequency of watering depends on the weather and the presence of mulch in the trunk circle. Mineral fertilizers are used for top dressing: at the beginning of the growing season, these are nitrogen fertilizers, starting from the budding, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. At the end of August or at the beginning of September, you can spray with potassium monophosphate, which will help you safely spend the first winter.
Trimming
All summer-flowering spireas, which include the Frobeli variety, need annual early spring pruning. Even before the leaves bloom, when the spireas begin to wake up after a winter sleep, sanitary pruning is carried out, cutting out all weak and thin branches. Last year’s growth is shortened to well-developed buds. Adult shrubs, starting from 4-5 years of age, are cut more radically – at a height of 30-40 cm from the soil surface. This formation stimulates the active growth of strong shoots that will bloom well this season.
The video tells about how often to cut spirea:
Preparation for winter
The winter hardiness of Japanese spirea Frobeli is declared by the originator of the variety at -25 ° C, i.e. this plant is suitable for cultivation in USDA zone 4. Therefore, only young, recently planted specimens need special preparation for winter. The soil surface in the trunk circle is mulched with dry compost or covered with geotextiles. Do this after the establishment of stable frosts, usually in late October or early November. If strong winter winds prevail in the region, then it is necessary to provide support for a young bush.
Reproduction
The seed method for Japanese spirea Frobel disappears immediately, because seedlings from hybrid varieties do not retain their maternal properties and are not of decorative value.
Of the vegetative methods, the most acceptable are:
- Green cuttings.
- Winter cuttings.
- Reproduction by layering.
- Division.
Green cuttings
Reproduction in this way is carried out in the summer, simultaneously with the beginning of flowering. A strong vertical shoot is chosen, cut into cuttings, each of which carries 4-5 leaves. The lower cut under the kidney is made oblique, the upper one is straight. The leaves on the cuttings are cut in half to reduce the evaporation of moisture. The bottom two sheets are removed completely.
For 3-5 hours, spirea cuttings are kept in a growth stimulator – Zircon, HB-101, Ecosil and others, or you can simply in water. But after that, the lower cut is dusted with Kornevin powder, and then immediately planted in moistened sand or vermiculite, deepening by 2-3 cm. The cuttings are placed in a box at an angle of 30-45 °. A film is pulled from above (on metal-plastic arcs) and left in a shaded place until rooting. The cuttings need to be sprayed daily with clean water from the finest spray bottle to maintain a stable moisture level.
Winter cuttings
The cutting of lignified cuttings is carried out in September-October, removing the remains of the leaves from them, if they have not yet flown around. Prepare the bed, filling it with sand and humus for digging. The cuttings soaked in water for 2-3 hours are buried in moist soil in an inclined form by 5-6 cm. The bed is mulched with fallen leaves, you can additionally cover it with a non-woven fabric or a vegetable box. Rooting usually occurs in the spring, when it warms up and there is enough moisture in the soil. By autumn, rooted bushes of Japanese spirea will already give a slight increase.
Reproduction by layers
This is a reliable way to get a small number of young plants. For its implementation, several lower horizontal shoots are selected and placed in prepared shallow furrows around the mother liquor. The branches are pinned to the soil in 1-2 places using metal brackets or bent electrodes. They fall asleep with earth, leaving the top of the shoot on the surface, which is tied vertically to a small peg. The soil in this place is constantly moistened, and even better – mulched with a layer of peat or mowed grass. You can separate the young Frobeli spirea in a year, next spring, and immediately plant it in a permanent place.
Division
This propagation method is not often used, because it is more suitable for young plants, which are easier to dig out without damage. The roots of the spirea are washed so that you can see how best to cut the bush into pieces. On each delenka it is necessary to leave at least 2-3 strong shoots. For the operation, a pruner or a sharp knife is used, fresh cuts are treated with brilliant green or coal powder. Too long roots must be shortened, and then plant the delenki in prepared pits.
Diseases and pests
Spirea Japanese Frobeli is rarely affected by diseases, and possible yellowing and drying of the leaves are most often the result of improper care or pest attacks. Of the fungal diseases, verticillium wilt is most likely, in which the leaves begin to dry and turn yellow, starting from the lower branches. Quick help in the form of spraying with a copper-containing preparation provided to spirea will stop the spread of pathogenic infection.
Spiraea Japanese Frobeli belongs to the Pink family, therefore it is affected by pests common to all its representatives, such as the rose leafworm and leaf miner, or the mining fly. They are controlled with the help of available insecticides, and the affected leaves should be immediately removed from the bushes and destroyed.
In addition, aphids and spider mites can cause the greatest harm to spirea. In the fight against aphids, the Biotlin preparation has proven itself well, and the spider mite can be destroyed with the help of various acaricides such as Fitoverma, Kleshchevit and other agents containing the active ingredient aversectin.
Reviews of Japanese Spirea Frobel
Conclusion
Japanese Spiraea Frobely is a versatile plant for any type of garden. It will perfectly fit into the natural style and will find a place for itself in geometrically even, sheared borders. She will have enough space on 3 acres, but a luxurious bush will not be lost in the park area. And the undemanding nature of this variety of Japanese spirea is its pleasant bonus for every gardener and landscape designer.