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Japanese Spiraea Golden Princess is a representative of a large group of deciduous shrubs. Spireas are found almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere. The genus of the plant includes more than 90 species, which differ in the shape and height of the bush, different flowering periods, arrangement and configuration of flowers. Golden Princess is considered the most popular variety of Japanese spring flowering meadowsweet. In the photo, the Golden Princess spirea:
Description of the Golden Princess spirea
In summer-flowering varieties, flowers are formed on young shoots. One shoot grows and develops for 7 years, while the roots of the bush actively grow. This explains the good growth of the bush. The maximum height of an adult Golden Princess spirea reaches 70cm.
Other characteristics of the plant:
- The average diameter of the bush is about 1 m. The crown is compact, rounded, grows slowly. The branches are slightly curved upwards.
- The leaves are toothed, oval in shape, about 7 cm long. They change their color depending on the season. In spring, the bush is covered with bright yellow leaves. In summer they are golden yellow, in autumn they turn red, orange or bronze. The translation of the name into – “golden princess” is fully justified by the external beauty of the bush.
- The inflorescences of the Golden Princess variety are corymbose, the diameter reaches 4 cm. Japanese meadowsweet blooms in June-July with beautiful pink or reddish flowers. They look very harmonious in bouquets, so Golden Princess is used for cutting.
In the description of the Japanese spirea Golden Princesses, it should be added that the plant is a honey plant. Flowers attract bees with their smell, so beekeepers often place beehives near plantings of shrubs.
Spiraea Golden Princesses in landscape design
Spiraea of this species is very decorative, therefore it is popular among landscape designers. The dimensions of the Golden Princess spirea bush fit perfectly into various compositions. With the help of meadowsweet, you can create a low border, edge, mixborder from different types of similar shrubs, add color to a rocky garden. The plant is combined with perennial herbs and flowers. Ideal for seasonal arrangements. In addition, the Japanese species is distinguished by the longest flowering among its counterparts. For 45 days, the garden is filled with bright bushes.
Border from spirea Golden Princesses
Each variety is used in certain compositions. Japanese Golden Princess is good to cut. Therefore, a chic border along the path or a strip for fencing the zone will turn out from the bush.
Spirea hedge Golden Princess
Most often, the Japanese spirea of the Golden Princess species in landscape design is used for planting a hedge. The shrub is doing well. The best companions for spirea are junipers, spruces and arborvitae. Plants are selected in color and size. To make the hedge attractive, you need to plan the planting. A long fence is first outlined with pegs, then the rope is pulled. Holes for plants are marked along the rope. With this approach, the spirea hedge will turn out to be even.
Planting and caring for the Japanese Golden Princess spirea
The Japanese meadowsweet is considered an unpretentious species, however, the development of any plant depends on the correct planting and care. Rooting will happen faster if the gardener follows the rules for caring for the Golden Princess spirea after planting.
Preparation of planting material and site
Proper planting involves choosing a place with suitable conditions for the plant, preparing seedlings and accurately executing the algorithm. The best time to plant Golden Princess is spring. It is during this period that summer-flowering spireas are planted. Some recommendations:
- Maintain deadlines. Bushes need to be planted before the buds swell. If the deadline is missed in the spring, then you can plant the Golden Princess spirea in the fall, when the leaf fall ends.Important! In this case, it is necessary to shelter the shrub from frost and strong winter winds.
- Choose a well-lit place. A little shading will not hurt, but a long absence of the sun will negatively affect the flowering of meadowsweet. The bush is not recommended to be planted in a lowland, the variety does not tolerate waterlogging.
- Prepare the ground. Golden Princess is undemanding to its composition, but grows better on fertile land and blooms more magnificently. In addition, he loves loam or sandy loam.
- Properly prepare a spirea seedling for planting. Cut off all dry or rotten roots, be sure to shorten healthy ones, leaving 30 cm in length. Branches cut to 1/3 of the total length. If the seedlings were bought in a container, pour the plant with water, and then remove it. Well, when a seedling is without leaves, such specimens take root better.
Landing technology will not cause difficulties.
Planting spirea Golden Princess
Planting seedlings begins with the preparation of holes. You need to dig a hole with vertical walls. The size of the hole should be 1/3 larger than the root system. Leave the finished pit for 2 days without soil. Leave a distance of at least 50 cm between two planting pits.
Then lay a drainage layer on the bottom. Expanded clay, crushed stone, broken brick will do.
Prepare a nutrient mixture from garden soil, peat, sand. Mix all components in equal amounts.
Spread the roots of the Japanese spirea seedling, put the plant at the bottom of the pit, sprinkle with earth. The root neck should be at ground level.
Tamp the near-stem circle and water well. Then lay down a layer of mulch.
Watering and top dressing
Among the list of measures for the care of the Japanese Golden Princess spirea, watering and fertilizing are the main ones.
It is necessary to water the shrub in a timely manner, but moderately. In summer, during the hot season, it requires 2-time watering per month. 20 liters of water are poured onto one plant. Well, if it is warmed up in the sun.
Top dressing improves the flowering of spirea. Liquid fertilizers are suitable for Golden Princess. In the spring, bushes are fed with complex fertilizer after pruning. The second time the food is brought in during the flowering period (second decade of June). Now organics are bred – chicken manure (1:18), mullein (1:6). Additionally, 10 g of superphosphate is mixed for each bucket of water. Feeding spirea begins after 2 years of age.
How and when to prune Golden Princess spirea
The variety tolerates pruning and shearing. Spring pruning is recommended for summer-flowering spireas. It consists in shortening the shoots. Above the ground, leave 20 cm of shoot length. Basic pruning requirements for the formation and rejuvenation of the bush:
- First, cut out all the branches that are sick, withered, frozen, too inclined to the ground or very weak.
- Shorten last year’s shoots and remaining branches to the first large buds.
Gardeners need to remember that when pruning, you should not spare older branches. Japanese meadowsweet grows better with careful pruning. Otherwise, in the summer they will dry out and spoil the outside.
Gardeners do not practice autumn pruning of the Japanese Golden Princess spirea.
Preparation for winter
Japanese spirea variety Golden Princess refers to plants of medium winter hardiness. Therefore, the bushes must be covered. Gently bend the shoots to the ground and cover with non-woven material.
How to propagate Golden Princess spirea
Several methods are acceptable for a variety. Reproduction of the Golden Princess spirea occurs with the help of:
- Cherenkov. They are pre-soaked in a rooting solution and placed in a rooting substrate. This is done in October. Then in the spring, when the weather is warm, the cuttings are planted in open ground. The survival rate with this method is more than 70%, so gardeners most often use it.
- Otvodkov. The selected shoot is bent to the ground, fixed in a convenient way and sprinkled with soil. To improve the result, it is better to dig a small trench, and then lay the shoot. At the same time, the characteristics of the variety are preserved, as with cuttings. It is applied in the spring in the phase of blooming leaves. Then abundant hydration and removal of inflorescences is required.
- Seed This method is the longest and requires a lot of attention.
- Division of the bush. A convenient option for propagation at any time of the growing season – spring, summer, autumn. It is carried out on bushes at the age of 3-4 years. Each delenka should have 2-3 powerful shoots and one healthy root bud.
The most practical and popular are the first two breeding options.
Diseases and pests
The defeat of diseases in the Japanese Golden Princess spirea is quite rare. The most dangerous pest is the spider mite. At the first signs of its appearance (spots on the leaves, drying out), Acrex or Phosphamide (2%) solutions are used. Process the entire bush of Spirea.
In addition to the tick, the rose leafworm and aphids cause damage to the plant. In this case, the bush is sprayed with solutions of Aktelik, Pirimor, Etafos, bitoxybocillin. Preventive formulations are prepared from infusions of herbs and roots, for example, dissected hogweed.
Conclusion
Japanese Spiraea Golden Princess is a very decorative and unpretentious plant. By following the rules of simple care, gardeners can easily decorate their plots with plantings of summer-flowering shrubs.
