Goldmound Spirea | A Workhorse

Goldmound Spirea, Spiraea japonica 'Gold Mound'

I'm trying to remember the first time I saw a Gold Mound Spirea. I'm pretty sure it was in my college days in the woody plant ID courses I was taking, but what comes to mind is my first contact with bare-root plants. These are plants from growing fields dug in the fall and stored in temperature-controlled buildings with no soil on the roots—bare-root.

As spring comes around, these smashed plants (seriously) find their way to garden centers and landscape companies who "pot up" these plants, reuniting the roots with soil. I remember potting up Spireas as flat as pancakes, frozen solid, that had come out of storage. How is this going to live? I thought. 

Flat as a Pancake! We tried to help some of them by pulling their branches out to make them more "Gold Moundish." But it just snapped the brittle branches, making it worse. Goldmound Pancake Spirea. As the temperatures warmed up, the tiny buds began to sprout leaves, and by mid-season, they looked pretty "mounded".

Spirea's always perform, always show up, and get the job done.

Workhorse Characteristics of the Goldmound Spirea:

• 2.5 feet tall by 3 feet wide.
• There is an excellent range of leaf colors throughout the growing season, with golden yellow leaves turning to oranges and reds as we move into fall.
• Beautiful pink flowers in the spring fade into a decorative "dried flower arrangement" look.
• The Bumble Bees love this plant.
• Very tolerant of snow loads with a resilient branch structure.
• It can be frequently sheared for a more formal shape but will maintain a lovely mound without care.
• It is very drought tolerant after being established.
• Can tolerate some lower light conditions but looks best in full sun (at least 6 hours per day).
• Can survive 40 below F to 110 F., Zone 3

So, if you're looking for an easy way to add color to your landscape, look no further than the Gold Mound Spirea! This hardy shrub is very easy to care for and responds well to pruning. In the spring, prune back the old growth to stimulate new growth with beautiful yellow leaves and pink flowers. 

Gold Mound Spirea makes a great color contrast against other plants in your garden and can be used effectively in various landscape designs. So don't hesitate to try this plant - you won't be disappointed!  

Our video here shows you how to give your Goldmound a spring shearing and expected results.

Thanks for stopping by Garden Hike!

Kevin

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