Comments on: What Ratty-Looking Spireas?

By: Brea

Brea — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:27:09 +0000

We had a hedge of 7 fully grown 10 year old renaissance spireas. Just the other day our neighbor ‘coppiced’ them down to one foot, right in the middle of thier growing season-they were 6 feet tall before! They were our plants but the neighbors chopped them down without even asking us!! Im going to school for landscape/horticulture and I know coppicing is a common pruning technique for certain plants in EARLY spring- but in the middle of the season!? I think they will come back- but I need some reassurance from somebody to tell me whether or not they really will.

By: Allison

Allison — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:09:28 +0000

If spireas weren’t meant to grow a bit wild, then nature wouldn’t have made them that way!!

By: Amy Stewart

Amy Stewart — Fri, 12 May 2006 03:41:49 +0000

You people and your shrubs. I just can’t get excited about a shrub. Is it an east coast thing? Maybe if I had a bigger garden I’d plant a shrub. OK, there’s a tibouchina in the front yard and a hydrangea in the back, but I didn’t plant ‘em.

Oh, I suppose a buddleja is a shrub, huh? OK, that I can understand.

By: PamL

PamL — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:56:09 +0000

I love my Bridal Wreath. I love the graceful arching branches with the little white white flowers. I had two outside my bedroom windows as a kid and those little bouquets were perfect for Barbies many weddings! I didn’t know, back then, that she was a biggamist. Mine now is 4 years old and about 6 X 8 and I love it. I am going to head it back a little for the first time after it finshes blooming this spring.

By: Michele Owens

Michele Owens — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:37:53 +0000

Yeah! Vindicated by M Sinclair Stevens!

I actually planted a Bridal Wreath last year. But in the wrong spot, they are just bad.

By: M Sinclair Stevens (Texas)

M Sinclair Stevens (Texas) — Wed, 10 May 2006 22:51:56 +0000

She was probably referring to the ratty looking spirea in my front yard. I, too, looked at your photo of the weigela with envy and thought, “Man, I’d like to have one of those to replace that spirea. I wonder if they grow here. Or are they like lilacs and tulips.”

My spirea is growing half on one side of the fence and half on the other. The entire center part is dead and I don’t know how to divide it given its position. But I can concur that it cutting back in the spring time encourages it to flower some more. That’s what I did this year and it surprised me.