Japanese spiraea

Spiraea japonica

In other languages: Japanse spirea (Nederlands) · Spirée du Japon (Français)

Japanese spiraea is a compact deciduous shrub from Japan, China and Korea. From June to August it carries flat heads of tiny pink to carmine flowers that attract bees and butterflies. Many varieties have coloured leaves: ‘Goldflame’ comes into leaf orange-red and then turns yellow and light green, ‘Anthony Waterer’ has carmine flowers and ‘Little Princess’ stays small and rounded. It grows 50–80 cm tall, is very hardy and tolerates almost any soil. With one prune a year, it stays attractive and compact for many years.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -30 °C
Size
0.8 m
tall, 1 m wide
Flowering
June–August

Key facts
Pruning months	March
Height	0.8 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	June–August

Identify

Japanese spiraea: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Low, dense, rounded shrub 50–80 cm tall and up to 1 m wide.
Leaves: Narrowly oval and toothed; green, yellow or orange-red when new depending on the variety, often with autumn colour.
Flowers: Broad, flat heads of tiny flowers at the tips of the new shoots, from June to August.
Colour: Pink to carmine, in some varieties white, or pink and white mixed.
Roots: Fine and fairly shallow: it is easy to move.

Flowering: June–August · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March

In your garden

Why grow it?

Long summer flowering from June to August, often with a second flush if you cut off the first heads.
The flat flower heads are a landing pad for bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Varieties with yellow or orange leaves give colour from spring to autumn, even without flowers.
Very hardy and not fussy about soil.
Compact enough for a small garden, an edging, a low hedge or a large pot.

Japanese spiraea: where does it grow best?

Sun or light partial shade; in sun it flowers more freely and yellow foliage colours best.
Ordinary garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky, preferably not too dry.
Copes well with wind and an open position.
Space 60–80 cm apart; as a low hedge 40–50 cm.

Light: Sun and partial shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Normal
Size: 0.8 m tall, 1 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

Lavender: Blue spikes beside pink heads, in the same sun.
Hardy geranium: A loose, flowering edging in front of the shrub.
Catmint: Long blue flowering that partners the spiraea all summer.
Ornamental grasses: Fine, airy stems as a contrast to the compact shrub.

Maintenance

Japanese spiraea: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

Plant in March–April or October–November.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in some compost.
Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
Allow 60–80 cm between plants, 40–50 cm for a low hedge.
Water well and mulch the base with compost or wood chips.

Care

Water: In dry spells in the first year; after that only in long periods of drought.
Feeding: A thin layer of compost or a little organic feed in spring.
Faded flowers: After the first flush, cut off the faded heads: a second, smaller flush often follows in August.
Green shoots: On yellow- or orange-leaved varieties, remove shoots with plain green leaves completely as soon as you see them.
Mulching: A layer of compost or wood chips keeps the soil moist and weed-free.

Tip: Cut all stems back to 15–20 cm every March: it flowers on new wood and stays compact and free-flowering this way.

Japanese spiraea: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new shoots start to grow: it flowers on new wood.

How:

Cut all stems back to 15–20 cm above the ground.
On older shrubs, also remove dead and thin stems at the base.
In summer, cut off faded heads for a second flush.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings: In June–July, 8–10 cm cuttings in a mix of potting compost and sand, under a plastic bag. They root easily.
Hardwood cuttings: In November–December, push 15–20 cm cuttings of ripe wood into the soil in a sheltered spot.

Japanese spiraea: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

Very hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection needed.
Feel free to leave the faded heads until the March prune.
In a pot: stand the pot in shelter and make sure it is not standing in water.

Diseases and pests

Aphids: On young tips in spring. Spray them off with water; ladybirds do the rest.
Reversion: Yellow-leaved varieties sometimes produce shoots with plain green leaves. Cut them out straight away, or they will take over.
Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry summers. Water and keep the shrub airy.
Bare, woody shrub: Not pruned enough. Cut back hard in March: it will regrow readily.

Through the year

March: Prune to 15–20 cm. Give compost. Plant.
April: Plant. New leaves emerge in yellow, orange or green.
May: Watch out for aphids. Remove green shoots.
June: First flowers. Take softwood cuttings.
July: In flower and full of bees and butterflies. Cut off faded heads.
August: Second flush. Water in dry spells.
October: Plant. Autumn colour.
November: Plant. Take hardwood cuttings.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Butterflies: Nectar for butterflies.

You and this species

Did you know?

The word aspirin refers to Spiraea, the old name for meadowsweet: the plant from which salicylic acid was obtained in the 19th century.
On the variety ‘Shirobana’, pink, white and two-tone flower heads appear together on the same shrub.
In the eastern United States, Japanese spiraea has escaped into the wild and is regarded as an invasive species.

Garden plants · All species