Spiraea, Japanese Meadowsweet, Japanese Spirea, Maybush 'Shirobana'

This cultivar is not sold and planted as much as the all pink 'Anthony Waterer' or the yellow foliaged 'Gold Fame' or 'Gold Mound', all o...Read Moref which are so abundantly planted. It is occasionally found in Midwestern and Eastern yards and landscapes. Some strains, depending on where they cut the soft wood cuttings, produce more white flower clusters than pink ones and visa versa. Some are about equal as they should be. Best to buy them when in bloom to see what one likes.

I have this shrub in a mixed flower bed----for variety and interest. My favorite things about this plant are: It adds a delicate form t...Read Moreo the garden's bolder plants like roses, lilies, phlox, etc. It's a "cloud" of continuous blooming fluff with both pink and white blooms. My shrub has by far and way more white blooms than pink, but I've seen the opposite. It doesn't reseed like my other spireas. I cut it down to 1 foot in the fall and it seems to thrive on the abuse by growing and blooming even bigger and better the next year! Even after a sharp shaving of all the brown flowers, I thought it was done for the year but to my surprise it quickly popped out enough blooms to make a show. Never needs staking. The cons are few: Not enough combination of pink and white blooms; dead-heading the brown blooms is a pain but the fresh result is worth it. That's it. Mine gets watered regularly but I have spireas in dry shade with almost no summer water and a maximum of 1 hour of sun on one side and no sun on the other and the bush blooms beautifully and grows huge. They do equally well in full hot sun. Even this small one can end up taking up a lot of space so choose your spot carefully. ALL of mine grow bigger than what is stated.

My grandmother was growing this at her home 50 years ago. It bloomed even on the north side of her house, but will do better with more s...Read Moreun. Our church gardens include one as well. All these Japanese Spireas make a much better show if cut back hard every year or so.

I read above where this plant is considered sterile or doen't come true to seed. I guess I am confused, as I have grown this several tim...Read Morees from seed. The seeds come from my parents plant, that I raid at least once a summer. Does anyone have anymore info on this?