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Rosaceae FAMILY

Spiraea douglasii

Spiraea douglasii

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Spiraea douglasii is a very cold hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[1]. Prefers a position in full sun, but also succeeds in light shade[2]. Tolerates most soils[1], but prefers a good loamy soil with abundant moisture[3, 1]. Dislikes dry soils[4]. Tolerant of seasonal inundation of the soil, the plant is also found in the wild on permanently wet soils[2]. Prefers a moist lime-free soil[5, 4], plants quickly become chlorotic on chalk soils[1]. Succeeds in soils with a pH ranging from 4.5 - 7.5[2]. Species in this genus generally hybridize freely with other members of this genus, and so seed cannot be relied upon to come true unless the plant has been grown in isolation from other species that are flowering at the same time[3]. A rampant suckering shrub, it quickly produces dense thickets and can be used for large-scale naturalistic plantings[1]. It is apt to get thin and poor unless divided up fairly regularly and replanted in fairly good soil[6, 3]. The shoots that flowered the previous summer should be pruned back in late winter or early spring in order to promote better flowering[3].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame if possible. It is likely to require stratification before it germinates, so stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as you receive it. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a light sandy soil a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, 15cm long, autumn in an outdoor frame[1]. . Division of suckers in early spring[1]. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Spiraea+douglasii>

Pollinators

Birds, Butterflies, Insects

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
  3. [3]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  4. [4]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  5. [5]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  8. [8]Flora of California — http://www.calflora.org ↩︎An on-line database of the Californian flora, giving details on plant habitats and photos of the plants.
  9. [9]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.