Pruning Virginia Sweetspire : It attracts butterflies and its berries provide food for passing birds.. It attracts butterflies and its berries provide food for passing birds. Pruning you can prune virginia sweetspire to shape it or control its size, but pruning is not otherwise necessary. Botanically named itea virginica, itea sweetspire has a rounded form when planted in sunny areas. The best time to prune sweetspires is right after they flower in late spring. Gardenality.com lets you build virtual gardens, share your gardening pictures, rate gardens, take gardening quizzes, search for plants by attribute such as type, soil, sun, water needs, plus hundreds more, and has hundreds of helpful articles.
I planted two of them last fall. Scentlandia ® sweetspire delivers on all three! Spirea x arguta 'bridal wreath', s. Any measurement below 7 indicates acid soil conditions, and anything above 7 indicates alkaline. It thrives in almost any soil type, including clay, and is hardy in all but the coldest climates.
How to care for itea shrubs. Prune the plant only as needed to maintain an attractive shape. You may have to prune it to keep the plant neat and tidy. Virginia sweetspire (if desired, hard prune in late winter, when you can see what you're doing) kolkwitzia. Gardenality.com lets you build virtual gardens, share your gardening pictures, rate gardens, take gardening quizzes, search for plants by attribute such as type, soil, sun, water needs, plus hundreds more, and has hundreds of helpful articles. On older plants some of the heaviest cains can be removed to increase vigor. An abundance of striking white flower spikes in summer add to the landscape value. For more information on sweetspire, contact your county extension office.
Pruning should take place after new growth emerges.
Prune the plant to improve the shape and reduce its size but, be careful not to remove more than 30% of the top growth. Because it blooms on old wood (previous year's growth), pruning should be done immediately after blooming so that the plant can develop the wood necessary for next year's blooms. Virginia sweetpsire is a north american native shrub that definitely put the v in versatile. The best time to prune sweetspires is right after they flower in late spring. Its showy flowers, fragrance, and ability to attract pollinators make it a valuable choice for most gardens. It can grow up to 8 feet tall and has graceful arching branches. If you're unsure about the ph of your soil, and whether or not it's suitable for growing itea, it's a good idea to test the soil ph in the planting area. Locate the itea shrub in moist to wet soils in a part shade to full sun. Little henry® itea virginica 'sprich' uspp 10,988 These plants grow to about 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) tall and a little wider, and flower particularly profusely. Pruning in the spring risks removing the flower buds. Mulching around the base is preferred. It attracts butterflies and its berries provide food for passing birds.
In colder areas, sweetspire may experience a bit of weather damage coming out of winter, so prune any dead wood out after new growth has begun. You may have to prune it to keep the plant neat and tidy. The native virginia sweetspire typically grows from 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide in landscape settings. Its showy flowers, fragrance, and ability to attract pollinators make it a valuable choice for most gardens. Pruning should take place after new growth emerges.
Begin by removing any dead, diseased or broken branches from the base. Spacing for the scentlandia sweetspire should be at minimum 24 center on center, when planting in proximity such as border or mass plating. Any measurement below 7 indicates acid soil conditions, and anything above 7 indicates alkaline. The itea shrub is also known as virginia sweetspire and virginia willow. Little henry® itea virginica 'sprich' uspp 10,988 Its edible seeds attract songbirds while the racemes create a perfect environment for butterflies. How to care for itea shrubs. Virginia sweetspire (if desired, hard prune in late winter, when you can see what you're doing) kolkwitzia.
Use it in massed plantings, mixed borders, and containers.
Tight nodes are of value even if they haven't sprouted a branch. Botanically named itea virginica, itea sweetspire has a rounded form when planted in sunny areas. Lovely orange to burgundy fall color. It thrives in almost any soil type, including clay, and is hardy in all but the coldest climates. Mulching around the base is preferred. This shrub has handsome foliage in a pleasing round form. The hard pruning isn't mandatory, but it will provide a better/tighter basic framework of low order branches to build on. These plants grow to about 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) tall and a little wider, and flower particularly profusely. I chose the virginia sweetspire (henry's garnet) because i needed a flowering shrub for a spot that's in shade for a good part of the year but is in full sun for most of the day in the summer. Merlot is more compact that other virginia sweetspire cultivars and only requires light maintenance and shaping pruning. Prune the plant to improve the shape and reduce its size but, be careful not to remove more than 30% of the top growth. Spirea x arguta 'bridal wreath', s. Once new growth appears, dead stems can be removed.
If desired, fertilize in spring with a granular fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs, like a rose fertilizer. This shrub has handsome foliage in a pleasing round form. 1 soak all pruning tools in a disinfectant solution of about one part. I chose the virginia sweetspire (henry's garnet) because i needed a flowering shrub for a spot that's in shade for a good part of the year but is in full sun for most of the day in the summer. If you're unsure about the ph of your soil, and whether or not it's suitable for growing itea, it's a good idea to test the soil ph in the planting area.
Prune the plant only as needed to maintain an attractive shape. Itea is one of the most shade tolerant flowering shrubs and thrives even in wet soils, making it. One of the best fall foliage plants available. Itea virginica, or virginia sweetspire is a fragrant flowering perennial shrub native to eastern north america. Virginia sweetspire is a deciduous shrub with arching stems and alternate simple leaves that are oval in shape and dark green in color. Itea virginica (virginia sweetspire) blooms in may or june and should be pruned shortly thereafter. Like azaleas, sweetspire blooms on the previous season's growth, so prune shortly after flowering to prevent trimming off the next year's flower buds. The native virginia sweetspire typically grows from 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide in landscape settings.
They can be whacked back even to ankle high then if you're trying to keep them as compact as possible.
Besides its summer fragrance and fall beauty, virginia sweetspire draws bees and butterflies to the garden. Its showy flowers, fragrance, and ability to attract pollinators make it a valuable choice for most gardens. Any measurement below 7 indicates acid soil conditions, and anything above 7 indicates alkaline. Spacing for the scentlandia sweetspire should be at minimum 24 center on center, when planting in proximity such as border or mass plating. Gardenality.com lets you build virtual gardens, share your gardening pictures, rate gardens, take gardening quizzes, search for plants by attribute such as type, soil, sun, water needs, plus hundreds more, and has hundreds of helpful articles. Tight nodes are of value even if they haven't sprouted a branch. Like azaleas, sweetspire blooms on the previous season's growth, so prune shortly after flowering to prevent trimming off the next year's flower buds. It not only attracts the eye, but butterflies as well. Plant virginia sweetspire in shrub borders or foundation plantings because the foliage will form a dense barrier. Pruning in the spring risks removing the flower buds. Once new growth appears, dead stems can be removed. The best time to prune sweetspires is right after they flower in late spring. For more information on sweetspire, contact your county extension office.