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Ornamental plants are increasingly becoming not only guests of parks and city streets, but also settle in summer cottages, near residential private houses. A variety of plants and shrubs are used for a full-fledged landscape design. Photos and descriptions of the Vangutta spirea conquer with their beauty and attract lovers of ornamental plants to plant such beauty on their site.
Description of spirea Vangutta
A beautiful shrub of snow-white flowers, which looks like a waterfall, will no doubt gain a huge number of fans. More and more landscape design lovers are decorating their plots with this plant. A distinctive feature of the shrub – it grows very quickly. This allows you to give the site a beautiful appearance in a short time. Already during the first year, one can observe a sprawling shrub with white flowers that cover the plant like a hat. Sometimes green leaves are not visible at all during flowering, and a white cap completely covers the shrub. Therefore, it is popularly called “May snow”.
There is another name for this plant – meadowsweet. Under this name, the shrub is better known in Our Country. A cultivated plant has been considered since 1868.
The height of the shrub is about 2 meters, the branches in the form of an arc tend to the ground. The leaves of the spirea are obovate in shape with teeth along the edges. The length of the leaf is approximately 3,5 cm. The leaf is dark green on top and dull green on the inside.
The height and diameter of the crown of Vangutta spirea
The diameter of the crown of a luxurious shrub, as well as its height, reaches two meters. The shape of the crown is spreading, cascading. The shrub from the side resembles a white, flowing waterfall with delicate white flowers. Some varieties can reach a height of 3 meters, but these varieties are usually erect.
Flowering spirea Vangutta
The most beautiful shrub during flowering. With proper care and observance of agricultural technology, an ornamental plant can bloom twice a year. The first flowering lasts several weeks and begins from mid-June to early July. Early varieties begin their flowering in May.
The second flowering is possible in August. But this flowering is not distinguished by splendor, since the bush does not have so much strength, but in any case it turns out very beautifully. The white flowers of the shrub are located along the entire length of the shoot and are collected in inflorescences resembling halves of balls. From afar, this ornamental plant during the flowering period seems completely white.
What is the difference between Grefsheim and Vangutta spirea
There are several varieties of decorative spirea, each of which is known for its advantages.
Spirea Vangutta, in contrast to the gray spirea hybrid called Grefsheim, is a taller plant. Gray spirea Grefsheim has flowers up to 1 cm in diameter and with a yellow center. This variety begins to bloom at an earlier date than Vangutta.
Differences between Vangutta spirea and gray spirea
Gray spirea got its name from the ashy color of the leaves. From the side, the shrub looks ash gray. The leaves are pointed. The inflorescences of the gray variety are not spherical, but corymbose. They are also located along the entire length of the shoot. Used more often in the preparation of bouquets. It is considered a winter-hardy variety and does not propagate by seeds, as it is a hybrid. The gray variety propagates only by layering and one-year-old cuttings. It is also possible to divide the shrub during transplantation.
Spirea Vangutta in landscape design
Spirea Vangutta is often used not only by professionals in landscape design, but also by novice amateurs. There are several options for using a spreading shrub to decorate the garden plot and the area around the house.
The most common use of the Vangutta spirea is as a hedge. Such a fence will not allow too curious neighbors to see too much and decorate the site, give it a chic, rich look.
There are other ways to use shrubs for decoration:
- instead of a weeping willow in the presence of an artificial reservoir;
- a fence around the front of the house;
- like a single bush against a green lawn;
- as a combination with other ornamental plants; goes well with conifers, such as juniper, arborvitae, yew and spruce.
When used next to a pond, the spirea shrub looks great next to stones and artificial decorations. It also looks great shrub, surrounded by various flowers.
If you combine a sprawling shrub next to a tall tree, the composition will look luxurious.
In large areas, the so-called single shrubs have long been used when spirea is planted on a lawn far from each other. It turns out beautiful and monumental. Some varieties of spirea are great in cascading compositions, since the crown itself resembles a falling line.
Varieties of spirea Vangutta
Spirea Vangutta in landscape design in the photo looks completely different, depending on the variety. In total, more than a dozen varieties are known. They differ in size, life expectancy, timing and frequency of flowering. Each amateur chooses for himself the variety that is most suitable for a particular site.
Spiraea Vangutta Gold Fontaine
The peculiarity of this shrub is sprawling branches with yellow-green leaves. In autumn, the foliage turns completely yellow, and the area with shrubs is colorful. Shrub of this variety grows well with sufficient sun. Only a slight shadow is allowed for a short time. There are several other advantages of this shrub:
- unpretentious to soils;
- frost resistant;
- starts blooming in May.
It is used mainly in hedges, as well as in compositions and as a single decoration of the site. Looks great near the water in combination with stone paths.
Spirea Vangutta White
The most common ornamental shrub with white flowers. In autumn, the crown of the shrub turns yellow. The maximum height is 2 meters, as is the diameter. Grows fast, undemanding to soils, tolerates drought well. Like any spirea, it requires a sunny place, does not tolerate strong shade. In mid-autumn, fruits form on the shrub.
Spiraea Vangutta Golden Fountain
Spiraea Vangutta Gold Fountain is another variety with a slightly different appearance. It is a fast growing but upright plant. Grows up to four meters in height. The plant has narrow leaves of a dark green hue. The shrub is used as a hedge, as well as in compositions with other plants.
Spiraea Vangutta gold fountain, like other varieties, loves sunny places, but with partial shade. This allows the shrub to maintain a beautiful appearance for a long time, which is appreciated by landscape design lovers. Any house will look rich if you plant a Golden Fountain bush along the facade.
Spiraea Vangutta Pink Ice
This is a hybrid that is unpretentious and drought-resistant. The variety has variegated leaves and creamy inflorescences. For solitary planting, this particular variety is considered the best variation.
Planting and caring for Vangutta spirea
You can plant Vangutta spirea both in spring and autumn. In autumn, this is optimally done during the period of leaf fall, and in spring – before the start of sap flow. It is recommended to plant spirea with seedlings with a closed root system, but you must first prepare the correct site for planting.
Preparation of planting material and site
Spirea Vangutta better tolerates planting in the fall, until mid-October. A site with dry sandy soil is suitable for planting. There, the shrub will take root best and will delight with its beauty.
Before planting, you need to put the seedlings in water for three hours. Dry and roots with signs of rot must be removed.
When preparing planting material, it is important to remove too thin and long shoots so that the plant can fully develop.
The landing site is chosen strictly in the sun with a small amount of shade. Under the seedling, it is necessary to dig a square hole, which will be 20 cm larger than the root system of the seedling. At the bottom of the pit, be sure to lay out drainage from pebbles or rubble.
If it is supposed to grow a hedge, then the pits should be at a distance of no more than a meter from each other. Then there will be no gaps in the fence.
Planting spirea Vangutta
Before planting, the seedling should be carefully examined and check whether all the roots are healthy and full. All suspicious instances must be removed. The bush must be placed in a prepared hole and covered with earth. The composition of the earth: 2 parts of sod land, 1 part of sand, 1 part of peat.
The root system must be carefully sprinkled, and mulched on top. For this, peat is used. After planting, the seedling is watered with two buckets of water. Water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Watering and top dressing
Watering the shrub is not difficult. The plant is quite drought-resistant, does not require care. In any case, there are several watering rules that should be followed so that the shrub will please the owner with its luxury for a long time:
- water during hot and dry periods;
- the top layer of the earth must be dry;
- Watering should be regular, but not excessive.
If the moisture is in excess, then this will negatively affect the flowering of the shrub.
Feeding the plant also requires compliance with certain rules. The plant is unpretentious, and therefore it is enough to feed it once in the spring with complex fertilizer. Another feeding option is to add superphosphate to the nutrient mixture.
If you use granular fertilizer, then it is absorbed more slowly, and the result of top dressing will be expressed in violent flowering the next year.
Pruning spirea Vangutta after flowering
Spirea Vangutta after flowering needs pruning. In just a year, several prunings should be carried out: forming and sanitary. During sanitary pruning, diseased and frozen shoots are removed. Forming is carried out immediately after flowering and is designed to give the shrub a normal shape that will delight the owner. If you annually prune and monitor the appearance of the shrub, then the average life expectancy of an ornamental plant is 20 years.
Pruning Vangutta spirea in the fall helps prepare the plant for winter and give it the desired shape.
Preparing spirea Vangutta for winter
A feature of this shrub is its frost resistance. The plant does not require special preparation for the winter period, and it is not necessary to cover it. Winters are known when uncovered shrubs survived and endured frosts down to -40 ° C.
Experts advise covering shrubs only in those regions where frosts fall below -35–40 ° C. These are the northern parts of the country. There it is necessary to cover the root zone of the shrub with dry leaves, film and other methods of insulation so that the shrub can withstand the cold winter. If there are shoots that have frozen during the winter, they must be cut off in the spring so that the plant does not waste energy on painful shoots.
It is recommended to wrap very young seedlings only in the first winter so that they fully take root and do not suffer from frost.
Propagation of the Vangutta spirea plant
Shrub propagation is carried out in three ways:
- cuttings;
- layering;
- seeds.
Cuttings must be carried out 14-16 days after flowering. Long, strongly lignified shoots, completely healthy, are suitable as cuttings. To obtain roots, the cuttings should be placed in a container where equal parts of peat and sand from the river are used as nutrient soil. The following year, rooted cuttings can be planted.
Reproduction by layering is the simplest and most popular method, which is used everywhere even by novice gardeners. To do this, you need the most lignified branch located to the ground. It should be laid in a special groove so that the top of the shoot sticks out a few centimeters. Attach the shoot to the ground with a metal pin and sprinkle with soil with a fertile composition. Water the layers, and cover with leaves and foil for winter. In the spring, a branch that has taken root should be carefully separated from the bush and transplanted to a permanent place allotted to it.
You can also propagate spirea by dividing the main bush during transplantation. In this case, one large bush, when dug up, can be divided into several permanent strong plants. It is important that everywhere there are healthy and strong shoots that can take root in a new place. Separation should also be carried out carefully to minimize damage to the root system. Then the shrub will take root in a new place quickly and without problems.
Diseases and pests
The plant is also resistant to diseases and pests, but there are certain risks with improper care. For example, excessive waterlogging can lead to fungal infections. Systemic fungicides will help to cope with such pathologies.
The main symptoms of diseases that you must pay attention to:
- spots on the leaves;
- wilting branches;
- darkening of the bark.
In this case, it is better to cut off the diseased area and treat the cut with garden pitch.
As for pests, everything is also standard here:
- spider mite;
- aphid.
For the fight, any available means that can be sprayed on the bush are used. It is necessary to use drugs strictly according to the instructions so that the dosage is sufficient for the result. You can also use folk remedies, for example, a solution of ash.
Conclusion
A photo and description of the Vangutta spirea can attract the attention of any gardener. This shrub is able to decorate both the facade of the house and the lawn area, and serve as a fence from prying neighbors’ eyes. The variety can be selected both higher and lower, with different flowering periods, but in any case, the main advantage is that the plant is unpretentious, drought-resistant, tolerates frost and does not require constant feeding. Even a novice gardener can grow such an ornamental shrub. Knowledge is minimal, and the plant grows in record time.
