Deeply Rooted

So many spireas! There are so many kinds to pick from! Some with white flowers and some with pink and they come in every shape, size and shade… but which ones are best?

My top recommendation for pink blooming spireas is the Froebel, for a few key reasons. Firstly, it is the most vigorous and aggressive of all the traditional pink bloomers meaning it can grow bigger quicker. Second, it has the darkest green leaf and darkest, ruby pink flower of its family. When you combine these two traits together you get a plant that has (briefly) tricked me into thinking it was a hydrangea. Like nearly all spireas, it also has a very nice fall colour, turning burgundy red with the frost.

The classic use for Froebel Spireas is to be the front row plant in a flower bed. They are some of the shortest shrubs available for our climate and always offer a unique colour contrast of some kind. They will thrive best in locations with full sun, good drainage and wind protection in winter. They also need a good blanket of snow to cover them for winter to prevent tip freezing.

Froebel is an overall low maintenance plant. All pink blooming spireas are very flexible for pruning time, which can be extremely helpful. Give it a “haircut” in spring when the buds open and again after they bloom if it looks like it needs it. This will help maintain a good shape and more dense branching and foliage. Also, because it flowers on fresh growth, each pruning that it is given will encourage a fresh round of flowers.

More and more varieties of spireas are being selected and brought to market all the time but Froebel is a classic that will be hard to replace.