Lately I’ve been finding that some of previously well-behaved shrubs in my Connecticut garden are becoming garden thugs – freely re-seeding all over the garden. I’ve been noticing an abundance of Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica and Spiraea x bumalda) seedlings that seem to pop up almost overnight.
Like several other widely available and widely planted shrubs, some that are probably in your garden right now, Japanese spirea seems to be in a no-man’s land that can last for years. Caught between clearly demonstrating invasive behaviors and officially being placed on my state’s invasive plat list.
To find out more about ways to identify and deal with potentially invasive plants in your own garden, please read my latest post over at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens, Dealing with Potentially Invasive Plants.
I had no idea this spirea could reseed, I just assumed like many hybrids the seeds were useless. I’ll be checking a little more carefully now around my shrubs.
Marguerite, Keeping on eye on your shrubs is a very good idea. If you’d asked me 5 yeas ago if Japanese spirea reseeded I would have said no but, no, the answer would be a resounding YES.
Debbie, I appreciated your posting on this – you expressed something I’ve been uncomfortable with for many years after pulling out hundreds or even thousands of Japanese Spirea seedlings…like you, I inherited a landscape with at least a dozen of these shrubs and have been slowly eliminating them after watching them proliferate to nuisance levels…they did appear to be the perfect shrub for home landscapes because they don’t get too large and their fall color can be stunning. Oh and their ease of propagation would have made them a hit with nurseries. I’m experimenting with using Coralberry and White Snowberry as suitable New England native alternatives that stay at a manageable height and have other desireable characteristics (their beautiful berries). There are also 2 types of native Spirea (Meadowsweet and Steeplebush) that have pretty flowers although they don’t tend to have such a neat and tidy shape as the Jap. variety.
Ellen, It’s interesting that you’re having the same issues in MA, too. Coral berry and white snowberry sound like great native alternatives. I’m not overly familiar with wither so I’ll have to add them to my list to check out. Thanks for the inspiration.