Spiraea Berezolistnaya: features of cultivation

Spiraea birch-leaved is an ornamental plant that will suit even novice gardeners: with all its beauty, it is unpretentious, tolerates cold and heat well.

Let us examine in more detail how the young bush is planting and caring for it.

Description and characteristics

Spiraea birch is a deciduous shrub of the Pink family. On average, grows to 60 cm in height. The name of this species was due to the oval green leaves with small veins below.

This culture is characterized by spherical dense crown and ribbed curved zigzag shoots. The leaves appear at the end of April, and the fall - in October. Their length is 0.5 cm, the shape is elliptical.

The bush blossoms from June to July every year, starting from the age of 3-4 years. Inflorescences are dense tangle-panicles from a variety of small flowers of white or light pink color.

Spiraea berezolistnaya refers to hardy plants: it does not require special winter shelter, normally tolerates dry weather. Optimal for the rapid growth is considered to be an open place with moist loamy soil.

Landing

Planting spiraea birch leaves begins with the choice of location. The flower garden should be well lit, even if the site is located in a hot region. In partial shade or shade the bush will sprout, but flowering will be less abundant.

The most favorable time for planting is considered an overcast or rainy September day: the soil should be wet. Optimally plant this bush in a loose soil rich in humus. Sour soil has a beneficial effect on the color of the leaves.

Landing start with digging a hole for each bush. Its width should exceed the size of the root system by 25-30%, and the depth should be 40-50 cm.

The bottom of the pit must be covered with drainage. To do this, you can use:

• crumb brick;
• river sand;
• peat;
• sod or leaf earth.

The minimum distance between the pits is 30 cm. Depending on the desired result, spireas are sometimes planted at a distance of up to 1.5 meters.

Before planting, the roots of a young shrub should be carefully examined, cutting off dry and broken branches. After installing the seedling in the ground, the root system is straightened and then covered with earth.

Care

Spiraea care is quite simple. The soil around young bushes must be periodically loosened, avoiding compaction. Usually this should be done after watering and in the destruction of weeds.

So that the earth is not exhausted, it is mulched. To do this, after planting shrubs on top poured a layer of peat. This culture tolerates pruning and recovers quickly. The birch species is recommended to be cut annually after the plant awakens from winter. Small shoots are removed completely, and the rest is cut to large buds.

Such a system allows not only to increase the beauty of the bush, but also to prolong its life.

When the bush is 4 years old, you can annually cut the entire upper part above 30 cm from the ground. Otherwise, the old shoot will deflect down and dry out.A complete replacement of the birch-leaved spirea bush is made every 15-20 years.

Watering

Watering spirea is the main part of caring for it. The bush is hardy and able to endure drought for some time, but the long absence of watering can lead to its death. In the hot summer and immediately after planting, watering is carried out at intervals of 14 days. The volume of water per bush is about 15 liters.

In the autumn, watering should be regulated depending on the weather.

Top dressing

For lush flowering shrubs fertilize. Birch spiraea is recommended to be fertilized twice a year: in early spring immediately after pruning and in early June before flowering.

For top dressing use slurry, diluting it with water 1: 6. To enhance the effect, up to 10 g of superphosphate is added to the mixture.

Additionally, the plant can be fed with special fertilizers with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other macro-elements.

Diseases and pests

Spiraea berezolistnaya not prone to frequent diseases, but it happens that it affects the fungal infections: spots and gray mold.For any manifestations of the fungus, it is recommended to use fungicidal preparations ("Fundazol", "Fitosporin-M", "Ditan M-45", Bordeaux mixture, colloidal sulfur).

But pests spirea like. In warm weather, shrubs can attack:

• aphid;
• Rosy rosette;
• rosaceous miner;
• spider mite

Implicit signs of the presence of pests on a crop can be twisted and damaged leaves, cobwebs, premature aging and leaf fall. On sale there are many special means against pests. Against the tick use "karbofos", "Metaphos" or "Phosphamide". Pyrimor is effective against aphids, leafworms and miner. The best effect is given by means where the biological product is mixed with toxic chemicals.

Application in landscape design

Designers actively use birch spiraea in a variety of compositions:

• alpine slide;
• hedge;
• rocky garden;
• rockeries;
• mixborder, etc.

The advantage of the birch spiraea is that it can perform a decorative function not only in summer during the flowering period. No less original, it looks in the fall, when the leaves become red. An unusual effect can be achieved by framing a green leaf or shrub with a fiery ring.

Due to the universal height of this type of shrubs, it can be used not only for hedges, but also for high borders. The birch-leaved beauty combines well with all other spireas, as well as with roses, peonies, asters, viburnum, lilacs and most coniferous trees.

It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced gardener or are just starting to take the first steps in this business, grow your own birch spiraea for everyone, if you know the nuances of caring for it.

Do not forget about the timely feeding of the plant, correctly combine its flowering with other colors of the flowerbeds, and the plant will reward the owner with its beauty and pleasant aroma.