Spiraea cantoniensis

RHS Plant Profile

Reeve's spiraea

Synonyms

Spiraea reevesiana

Shrubs

Graceful, widespreading deciduous shrub about 1.8m tall, with slender arching branches and 3-lobed or deeply toothed green leaves, pale grey-green beneath. White flowers in rounded clusters appear all along the stems, in early summer

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 5–10 years
Max Spread: 1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Pendulous weeping, Spreading branched
Genus: Spiraea are deciduous shrubs, sometimes suckering, with simple leaves and short racemes, panicles or corymbs of small, 5-petalled white or pink flowers in spring or summer
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: China, Japan

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Ideal for a large informal garden

Propagation

Propagate by softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in spring to late summer or hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 6 for spiraea flowering on current years stems, prune out flowering stems after flowering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free but may be susceptible to honey fungus