Caring for spirea in autumn: how and when to prune spirea in autumn, covering for the winter

Flowers

Spiraea, or meadowsweet, is a beautiful flowering shrub that grows quickly and thrives in almost any conditions. In landscape design, it often serves as a hedge and makes a great addition to flower arrangements. Even the most undemanding plants only fully display their decorative qualities with proper care. Following a few simple rules will ensure that the shrub will be a beautiful addition to your home for 15–25 years. Spiraea: fall care, winter preparation, pruning, timing, and helpful tips.

Care and preparation of spirea for frost

To avoid harming your shrub with improper autumn care, consider the variety's tolerance to low temperatures and the growing region when determining the need for specific tasks (watering, pruning, and covering). Most meadowsweet varieties tolerate temperatures from -35 to -50 degrees Celsius (-95 to -122 degrees Fahrenheit), and in mild climates, they can be left uncovered. For colder regions, as well as heat-loving varieties, protection is essential. Care considerations for spirea vary by region:

Central Russia, Moscow region – if snowy winters occur for several years in a row, covering the branches of a mature bush is not necessary; simply rake the snow up to the meadowsweet. Mulch, covered with branches or spruce branches, will be sufficient for the roots.
Volga region – the bush is protected as in the previous case.
The Urals and Siberia – in cold regions, the most frost-hardy varieties adapted to long cold periods are planted. Winter protection is essential. Bushes are pruned before bud break, as extensive fall pruning will weaken the spirea before winter.

Attention!

If you planted the plant in the fall, be sure to cover it for the winter, even if your area has warm and snowy winters.

After leaf fall, if the autumn was dry, pour about 15 liters of water under the bush and loosen the soil. If the season was rainy, watering is not necessary. To protect the shallow root system, mulch the area around the trunk with a 1:1 mixture of leaves and peat or straw. In areas with harsh, snowless winters, it is better to provide an air-dry shelter. Before pruning, carefully inspect the bush; if there are any cobwebs on the branches, remove them. Treat the meadowsweet with a spider mite control product. Common mistakes in autumn care of spirea:

do not water the bush before covering it, as excess moisture will cause the roots to rot and the meadowsweet will die;
do not apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers;
Do not neglect the recommendations regarding the timing of pruning; if the procedure is carried out too late, the bush will not have time to recover and gain strength before the onset of severe frosts;
Do not throw plant debris near the bush, burn it away from the garden.

How and when to prune spirea

Some postpone pruning until spring to avoid damaging the shrub before winter, while others believe that fall pruning actually increases the plant's resistance to cold temperatures. According to experts, this procedure is effective in any season. Each gardener determines when to prune their meadowsweet based on their own abilities and the condition of the shrub. Benefits of pruning:

the bush is well ventilated;
a thinned plant receives more sunlight;
increases the density of the bush (important when forming hedges);
immunity to infections and pests is strengthened;
improves the appearance of the bush;
Pruning stimulates the growth of green mass and the formation of buds.

The plant responds well to pruning, regardless of variety or growing season. If you remove spent shoots in July, early-blooming varieties will delight you with a second bloom in September. There are three types of shrub pruning: formative, rejuvenating, and preventative. Autumn pruning should be done no earlier than 15 days before the onset of frost, allowing the cuts time to heal. In spring, pruning should be done before bud break.

Haircut type	Recommendations
Bush formation	Pruning can be done starting in the second or third year. To keep the meadowsweet looking well-groomed, trim any shoots that stick out from the main green mass each year. Ensure that the maximum length of the pruned stems does not exceed a third of the annual growth. Starting in the fourth or fifth year, shorten the shoots by half.
Rejuvenation of spirea	Annual (moderate) rejuvenation is performed every 2 or 4 years (preferably in the first half of September). Prune all stems to a height of 25–35 cm from the ground. If necessary, when the plant is over 7 years old, you can radically rejuvenate the bush by pruning it back to the stump (leaving short stems with two or three buds).
Preventive pruning (against diseases and pests)	Prune all wilted, dry, and diseased branches back to a healthy bud. Also, prune shoots that haven't survived the winter, doing this as early as possible to prevent them from robbing young branches of nutrients.

Attention!

The lifespan of spirea is about 15-20 years; if after rejuvenation the meadowsweet does not recover, it is time to replace it.

You can tell a meadowsweet is aging or neglected by the presence of numerous old branches and a virtual absence of new growth. In critical cases, when the plant has been severely damaged by disease, remove branches down to the root collar, leaving no stumps. Buds from damaged parts of the bush will produce weak and thin shoots. Learn about the fall pruning technique and schedule:

Strong, young stems from last year or this year don't need to be completely cut back; just trim them back. The exception is extra shoots growing inward from the crown;
The lifespan of shoots is 5 years; remove old branches completely. Each bush, regardless of variety, should have more young branches than old ones; this will make the plant more attractive and resistant to various adverse factors.
For young stems, remove any non-woody ends and trim off any dried inflorescences.

Pruning early flowering varieties

The flowering period begins in May, although in rare cases it begins in the first days of summer. The inflorescences form on the previous year's shoots, spreading along the entire length of the shoots. The plants tend to produce a large number of shoots, requiring mandatory pruning of some branches. In the fall, remove at least a quarter of all shoots (down to the root collar).

Note!

It is recommended to trim the inflorescences in the summer, immediately after the buds fall, but the procedure can also be postponed until autumn.

Remember that flower buds form on the current year's shoots. To avoid spoiling the meadowsweet's appearance, trim back the annual growth by a third; this will ensure more profuse flowering. Cut branches with weak branching by half, and remove a third of the length from each side stem. In spring, remove only frozen branch tips.

Pruning late-flowering varieties

The flowering period is July-August, with buds forming on growing branches. Numerous observations show that the more shoots you remove from these varieties in the fall, the more luxuriant the bush will be the following season. Prune back all weak branches completely, and in spring or early fall, remove excess shoots, leaving stumps with no more than three buds.

Summer-blooming meadowsweet responds very well to moderate rejuvenation. However, these varieties age faster than early-blooming ones, so severe pruning to the stump will not produce the desired results. Don't wait for the bush to become severely aged, as after 13 years, its decorative value quickly fades. Uproot it and plant a young sapling of the same variety.

Care after pruning

Clear the area around the bush of debris and weeds, water the plant, and apply fertilizer. Be careful; complex fertilizers are recommended at the beginning of the growing season or until midsummer. It's best not to apply fertilizer in the fall, especially nitrogen-based fertilizers. The bush is preparing for dormancy, and additional feeding will disrupt this process. As a last resort, if the plant is weakened by disease, apply a phosphorus-potassium mixture to the roots according to the instructions.

When and how to cover spirea for the winter

Protecting meadowsweet from frost is fairly simple, and doesn't require any expensive or special materials. In mild, snowy winters, apply a 15 cm layer of mulch. In harsh, snowless winters, increase the layer to 25 cm and cover the meadowsweet. Be sure to protect the branches of young and weakened shrubs; the plant's immunity to low temperatures develops at age four. How to prevent a covered shrub from rotting:

gather the shoots into a loose bunch, tie with rope or secure with twine;
cover the tree trunk circle with mulch;
carefully bend the tied branches to the ground and secure them in any convenient way;
Place dry leaves on the stems (a layer of 10–30 cm) to prevent the wind from blowing the mulch away, and press it down with dry branches.

Reviews and comments

Alena

I like spirea because it's easy to prune, can be shaped as desired, and is very easy to care for. I planted varieties that bloom at different times of the year, one after the other, so I have a hedge that looks beautiful from spring to late summer. In recent years, I've noticed that as my Japanese spirea bushes age, they don't recover as well from low pruning; they've developed a tendency to bare their root collars.

Elisha

Almost everywhere you look, you'll find recommendations to remove the blooms as they fade. I don't do this; they don't spoil the appearance, so why not postpone the procedure until the main pruning season—fall? I live in the Moscow region and don't cover the branches of my Grey Spiraea, only mulch the soil and add snow. My friends in Crimea don't protect their shrubs at all; their heat-loving varieties overwinter without any problems.

Natalia

I believe that spring pruning of meadowsweet is necessary only for preventative maintenance and to improve the bush's health. I remove branches that haven't survived the winter and dried out ones, leaving the main pruning for the fall (in the Urals, in the first half of September). My last fertilization is no later than August. I had an unfortunate experience: I applied fertilizer after pruning, and new shoots emerged. Frost struck, and covering them, of course, didn't save them. The bush recovered quickly, but bloomed very poorly. For the winter, I place arches over the bent branches, cover them with plastic, and top them with a layer of spruce branches.