Back to plants
Pink flower clusters of Japanese spirea in summer sunshineShrubs

Spiraea japonica

Japanese Spirea

spireacompact shrubbee-friendlylow hedgesmall garden

Japanese spirea is a compact, free-flowering shrub with flat clusters of pink flowers from June to August. The shrub has a neat, rounded form and works perfectly in small gardens, low hedges, or as border edging. Some cultivars feature decorative yellow-green or bronze-tinted foliage.

Want to see Japanese Spirea in your garden?

1 minute, no credit card

Start free design
Free design

Want to see Japanese Spirea in your garden? Make a free design now.

Upload a photo, pick a style, and get a photorealistic design with plant list in under a minute.

See your garden free

400+ gardens designed already

No credit card required

Before
After

Characteristics

Sun
Full sun
Water
Medium
Height
60–120 cm
Spread
60–120 cm
Hardiness zone
4–8
Family
Rosaceae
Evergreen
No
Flower colors
pink
Wildlife value
bees, butterflies

Bloom period

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Care guide

Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Spirea is highly adaptable and grows in almost any soil. Water regularly in the first season; after that the plant is drought-tolerant. A light feed in spring promotes flowering.

Pruning tips

Prune in early spring (March) by cutting all stems back to about 15-20 cm above ground. This encourages compact new growth and abundant flowering. Deadhead spent flower clusters in summer for a second flush.

Good companions

Blooming lavender with purple-blue flowers in summer sunlightShrubs

Lavandula angustifolia

English Lavender

Lavender is a beloved herb with aromatic silver-green foliage and purple-blue flower spikes. This evergreen plant blooms profusely from June to August and is remarkably drought-tolerant, attracting butterflies and bees to the garden.

Full sunLow30–60 cm
Yellow shrubby cinquefoil flowers in a sunny garden borderShrubs

Potentilla fruticosa

Shrubby Cinquefoil

Shrubby cinquefoil is a tireless bloomer producing an endless stream of buttercup-yellow flowers from June to September. This compact shrub is hardy to the coldest zones and makes virtually no demands on the soil. The fine, compound leaflets give the plant an airy appearance. Ideal for low hedges and borders.

Full sunLow60–100 cm
Neatly clipped boxwood sphere in a formal gardenShrubs

Buxus sempervirens

Boxwood

Boxwood is an evergreen shrub with small, glossy dark green leaves that is ideal for topiary and hedging. The plant grows slowly and can live for hundreds of years. Small green-yellow flowers appear in April and May, attracting early bees.

Partial shadeMedium100–500 cm