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Spirea gray Grefsheim: planting, care
Nothing pleases the eye more than a spring garden, when all living things wake up from hibernation and begin to bloom. In gardens and parks, special attention is drawn to the gray spirea “Grefsheim” – a real queen of beauty among ornamental shrubs.
Description of the spirea “Grefsheim”
The shrub grows quickly enough and can reach a height of 2 m and a diameter of 2,5 m. The young plant has straight branches of a red-brown color, which, as it grows, bend and go down.
Spirea gray “Grefsheim” is very popular in landscape design
The dense sprawling crown of a spherical shape is very similar to a flying fireworks. Small lanceolate leaves are gray-green on the outside, and a lighter shade on the inside. With the onset of autumn, they turn golden yellow.
The plant contains a large amount of tannins. Spirea is used for the preparation of medicinal creams and cosmetics
During the flowering period, which begins in the second half of May and lasts about 1,5 months, the shrub is covered with small white flowers, and at this time it seems that it is wrapped in a snow-white cloth. Therefore, spiraea is also popularly called “May snow” or “bride”. Each inflorescence, 1 cm in diameter, has 5 snow-white petals. Inside there is a yellow core, from which long stamens stick out, giving a special charm to tiny flowers.
Planting gray “Grefsheim” spirea and caring for it
For planting, seedlings that do not have leaves, with moist roots without blackness and cuts, are well suited. They are planted in the spring, before the onset of the growing season, or in the fall, after the leaves fall.
The width of the planting hole is 2 times the diameter of the root system, and the depth should correspond to its length. On dense soil, you will need a drainage device made of sand and small stones. The seedling is set in the hole, carefully straightening the roots, sprinkled with soil and lightly tamped. After planting, it is abundantly watered and mulched with peat.
An adult bush has a well-developed root system. It requires a large area to plant
The shrub is resistant to most diseases, tolerates frost and dry summers well, so it is very easy to grow it in the garden. Care for gray spirea “Grefsheim” consists in abundant watering 2 times a month and regular removal of weeds. Top dressing is done before flowering and after spring pruning of dry branches with chicken droppings or manure infusion. With proper care, the first flowers on the shrub will appear 3-4 years after planting.
Spirea “Grefsheim” tolerates urban conditions well, therefore it is used to create landscape compositions and hedges not only in personal plots, but also in urban landscaping.