Bridal wreath

Bridal wreath: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad shrub 1.5–2 m tall and 2–2.5 m wide, with arching branches.

Leaves

Small, diamond-shaped with a toothed edge, sometimes slightly lobed; blue-green.

Flowers

Small white flowers in dense, dome-shaped clusters along the whole length of the branches, in May.

Wood

Thin, brown twigs. It flowers on stems that grew the previous year.

Roots

Shallow and fibrous; a young shrub is easy to move.

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

Why grow it?

• A profusion of white flowers in May, like a snow-white waterfall.
• Bees visit the flowers.
• Fully hardy and tough: grows in sun and partial shade, on sand, loam and clay.
• Lovely as a specimen, in a mixed border or as an informal hedge.
• Little work: one prune after flowering is enough.
• Flowering branches look superb in a vase.

Bridal wreath: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers most freely in full sun.
• Sandy, loamy or clay soil, acid to chalky.
• Moist soil: neither too dry nor waterlogged.
• Allow 2 m of space so the branches can arch freely; 80–100 cm apart in an informal hedge.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

2 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Lilac: Flowers at the same time and adds colour and scent.
• Tulips: Colour at its feet in April and May, before and during flowering.
• Bleeding heart: Pink hearts in partial shade, also in May.
• Forget-me-not: A blue haze beneath the white branches.
• Hardy geranium: Covers the base and carries on flowering after the spiraea.

Bridal wreath: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in a few spadefuls of compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Space shrubs 1.5–2 m apart, or 80–100 cm in an informal hedge.
5. Water in thoroughly straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a mulch of compost or wood chips around the base.

Care

Watering

Weekly in dry weather in the first year. After that only in long, dry summers.

Feeding

A thin layer of compost in March. Nothing more is needed.

Mulching

A layer of compost or wood chips keeps the soil moist and weeds down.

Space

Do not plant it in too tight a spot, or you will have to prune away its lovely arching shape.

Cutting for the vase

In May, cut branches with just-opening flowers for a vase.

Tip: Plant it where its arching branches can spread freely, for example above a low wall or at the edge of a lawn. Then you hardly need to prune and its waterfall shape shows to best effect.

Bridal wreath: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: Straight after flowering, in June.

How:

• Cut flowered stems back to a strong, young side shoot lower down.
• Each year, remove a few of the oldest stems at the base to keep the shrub young.
• Remove dead and weak stems.
• Do not clip it into a ball: its natural arching shape is the most beautiful.
• An old, neglected shrub can be cut back to just above the ground after flowering. It will reshoot and flower fully again after a few years.

Caution: It flowers on the previous year’s wood: pruning in winter or spring removes that year’s flowers.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July: 10 cm cuttings from young shoots, lower leaves removed, in moist cutting compost under plastic.

Hardwood cuttings

From November to February: push 20 cm lengths of one-year-old wood two thirds of the way into the ground.

Layering

In spring, peg a low branch to the ground and cover it with soil. Sever it after a year.

Bridal wreath: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Do not prune in winter: the flower buds for May are already on the branches.
• Also hardy in a large pot; just make sure the compost does not dry out.

Diseases and pests

• Few flowers: Pruned in winter or spring, or too much shade. Prune only after flowering and give it more light.
• Bare, congested shrub: Not renewed enough. After flowering each year, remove a few old stems at the base.
• Aphids: On young shoots in spring. Ladybirds usually deal with them; otherwise hose them off.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, mainly in dry summers. Water, give it space and cut out affected shoots.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Give compost. Do not prune: the flower buds are already on the branches.
• April: Plant. Mulch. The buds swell.
• May: Full flower. Cut branches for a vase.
• June: Prune straight after flowering. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Water in dry weather. Take softwood cuttings.
• August: Water in long dry spells.
• October: Plant.
• November: Plant. Take hardwood cuttings.
• December: Dormant. Take hardwood cuttings.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• It is named after Louis Van Houtte (1810–1876), a Ghent nurseryman who became internationally famous for his nursery and his horticultural journal.
• The word aspirin is derived from Spiraea, the former scientific name of meadowsweet, a plant in which salicylic compounds were found.
• In English it is called bridal wreath, after its snow-white garlands of flowers.