Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Spirea - Neon Flash - Butterfly Plant

Spirea is an easy-to-grow butterfly plant.
The flowers can be trimmed off for repeated blooms.

When some blokes walked into the rose garden, without being asked, I felt a need for some kind of fencing. Almost Eden had spirea on sale, so I surrounded the entire rose area with small spirea plants: Neon Flash.

One wag called it "Pepto Bismal colored," which is a bit unfair.

The plant -  like many shrubs (KnockOut roses) - is neglected because of its hardiness. The spirea can tolerate drought, like crepe myrtle. The bush reblooms easily if pruned but seldom is. Some call this dead-heading.

I was dead-heading some drying up flowers for one guy, and he was ready to slug me. I said, "Do you want them to re-bloom?" He did not budge because he knew so little about plants.

This variety should remain about three feet high and spread to that width as well. The little fence has made a difference in defining the rose garden, without a low fence to trip over - and I would definitely do that.

In the spring I will cut it back low to the ground to renew it.

Crepe Myrtle is so productive and beautiful when
pruned and watered. Its tolerance of poor care seems
to encourage neglect, which I can see all over our neighborhood.