Spiraea betulifolia "Island"

• Type: Spirea (Spiraea)
• Latin name: Spiraea betulifolia
• Cultivar: ‘Island’
• Mature height: 60–80 cm
• Width: 80–100 cm
• Pot: 9 cm
• Light: sunny or semi-shaded
• Winter hardiness: USDA 3–8

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny or lightly shaded spot with fertile, well-drained soil; sites with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 0.6–1 m apart.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Summer-flowering cultivars (Japanese spiraea) are cut in early spring to 10–20 cm above the ground or by a third; spring-flowering species are pruned straight after flowering, removing the oldest branches.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. The plant is hardy in Estonia; protect a young plant in its first winter with mulch and spruce boughs if needed.