"I have recently found several spirea branches rotten at the base, and after removing them, I wondered what to do, "The article was SO helpful. Older shrubs can take a few years to rejuvenate. Spiraea thunbergii isn't fussy about drainage; average is fine. This tough, adaptable shrub takes heavy pruning in stride. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. The specifics of how to do this will be covered in the next section. Great Design Plants. Then, remove some branches from the middle of the plant to thin it out. After flowering. Give your plant a good watering the day before you plan to divide it. with the plant. If you do this for three years in a row, the plant will be reinvigorated with good, fresh growth. View gallery. For more information on pruning spirea shrubs, like how to remove suckers, read on! Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' (Thunberg spiraea 'Ogon') will reach a height of 1.5m and a spread of 1.5m after 10-20 years. Attractive white flowers appear in early spring and bronze fall color. You can also shape the shrub at this time. Fertilizer Needs: Apply a balanced fertilizer in early spring (before signs of new growth). Spirea varieties vary between about 2 and 10 feet tall. When pruning shrubs it is important know if it blooms on old wood from the previous year or new growth in the spring. The following summer, cut out about half of the new canes and shorten some of the remaining canes. For varieties of Spirea that bloom in spring, that will usually be late spring. Suggested uses. All spirea japonica greatly benefit from hard pruning in early spring. Bridalwreath Spirea is truly a low-maintenance shrub with no problems! Removing any diseased or damaged branches and any dead growth. Newly planted shrubs won’t need pruning as much; you may just give them a bit of a trim to reshape them in their first year. Although pruning is not necessary, it may be trimmed for size and shape immediately after blooming. The first group's dwarf spirea bloom in … Over-watering or a badly-drained soil can cause leaves to turn yellow and die off. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/20\/Prune-Spirea-Shrubs-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Spirea-Shrubs-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/20\/Prune-Spirea-Shrubs-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid4911745-v4-728px-Prune-Spirea-Shrubs-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"