Spirea cantonensis ‘Flore Pleno’
- Mounded, rounded graceful deciduous shrub
- Clusters of double, white flowers in masses
- Full sun to part shade.
- Frost and drought tolerant.
The gracefully bowing branches of this May Bush are lined with rounded clusters of white flowers in late spring and early summer. A wide-spreading, head-high shrub native to China and long cultivated in Japan, it is deciduous in colder regions but nearly evergreen in mild districts.
In late spring or early summer, clusters of five-petaled white blossoms adorn the length of the red-brown stems, attracting both bees and butterflies. The brown seed heads persist on the stems. The leaves are lance-shaped and mid-green with toothed margins and blue-green undersides. This shrub is most commonly grown in the form of its double-flowered cultivar ‘Flore Pleno’ (aka ‘Lanceata’).
Grows and flowers best in full sun, but also produces a good display in partial shade. It tolerates many soil types, doing best in fertile, moist ground. It tends to spread via root suckers and seeds to form an unruly mass of stems. Remove unwanted stems in early spring and prune back remaining stems to strong new side shoots immediately after bloom, before new flower buds form. Use this shrub for hedging, in mixed borders, or as an individual specimen.
Common Names: Double Reeves Spirea, Spirea, Bridal Wreath Spirea