2019 Yellowstone Arboretum Accessions
Spirea 'Candy Corn'
A# 2019-039 Z42
GPS W/A
Latin name: Spirea japonica 'NCSX1'
Family name: Rosaceae
Common name: 'Candy Corn' Spirea
Origin: Japan
Location: Plaza Junction
Number in accession: 2
Assigned: Z42
Status: Container
Source: Sylvan Nursery
Common Name: Japanese meadowsweet
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Native Range: Japan, China
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 4.00 to 6.00 feet
Spread: 5.00 to 7.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Pink
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Erosion, Clay Soil, Air Pollution
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Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils. Prefers rich, moist loams. Remove faded flower clusters as practicable (light shearing is an option) to encourage additional bloom. Flowers on new wood, so prune in late winter to early spring if needed. Plants can be aggressive self-seeders, and have escaped gardens and naturalized in many areas of the eastern U.S. Plants will also spread in the garden by suckering.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Spiraea japonica, commonly called Japanese spirea, is a dense, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub that typically grows 4-6’ tall with a slightly larger spread. Leaves (to 3” long) are oval and sharply-toothed. Tiny pink flowers in flat-topped clusters (corymbs) cover the foliage from late spring to mid-summer, with sparse and intermittent repeat bloom sometimes occurring. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.
Genus name comes from the Greek word speira meaning wreath in reference to the showy flower clusters seen on most shrubs in the genus.