Height: 80 cm (2 feet)
Spread: 100cm (3 feet)
Bloom: light pink, mid-summer, slight rebloom in late August
Foliage: yellow to chartreuse green but on the brighter yellow side in full sun
Spring foliage: same
Pluses: Foliage colour, size and shape, easy care
I have several Goldmound Spirea’s grown mostly for their bright yellow-green foliage colour. They make a great accent plant and are good massed. I have several that are now about 30 inches high and 3-4 feet across. The actual size depends on whether or not you prune them back in late July.
Spirea Goldmound is grown mostly for it's brilliant yellow-gold foliage
A great low maintenance shrub, Spirea Goldmound does not really need to be pruned in summer if you don’t want to. I usually prune mine each spring prior to or just as they are leafing out for shape and size. I prune some again after they have bloomed in July and leave some unpruned (mostly those in the outer gardens). The dead flowerheads on Goldmound are pale enough that they do not really detract from the appearance of the plant. For specimen plants deadheading does make the plant look better and you will be rewarded with a second flush of blooms in late summer. If you do prune in July the foliage will be a bit more on the lime-green side until the sun turns new growth yellow.
The flowers are light pink, appear in mid-summer and have a frothy airy appearance. They largely fade into the brighter foliage are are not the main attraction of this shrub.
Spirea Goldmound flowers are light pink and largely fade into the foliage
Fall foliage can provide steaks of orange and reds amid the golden foliage.
As with all summer blooming spireas, Goldmound needs a heavy pruning two or three times their first two seasons. They grow so fast they are a bit leggy the first and sometimes second season so pruning keeps them bushy and in shape but I have found by the third season they generally keep the nice mounded shape on their own.
Garden Locations: Kitchen Patio Garden, Bird Sanctuary Garden, East Garden, Woodland Garden. Most are mass planted, often curving around larger shrubs such as Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush) or Red Prince Weigela.
Hi,
I recently purchased the Spiraea Goldmound at a plant event. I have this this bush around town as accent plants and want to find just the right place so that I show it off to its best advantage. Your info on your site was very helpful,
especially “where in your garden to plant”. I live in the mountains of N.C. and live among the trees. I only get aboutr 6 hours of good sunlight from east to west in my yard. We also have a very bad deer situation up here where they eat everything. If this plant is not deer resistant, I will have to consider planting it in a container on my deck. This plant appears to like its freedom to bush. What would you suggestion be for my garden?
Thank you
Linda Hodgkins
Hi Linda,
I have some spirea goldmound along my back garden & the deer don’t seem to both it. It won’t grow in total shade but if it gets some sun it will be fine. The more sun the denser the plant. The less sun, the leggier it will be so you may have to shape prune it part way through the season if it topples.
Hi
I’m in Scotland & have 6 gold mound in a semi circular shape with 3 large lime scented conifer trees which I ha tapered into a 3 ball shape surrounded by brown bark & have a deep orange /red bark around the lower ball of each conifer tree it’s all very beautiful …… my question is with my goldmound shrubs is it possible to split them and replant the split part to double the amount of shrubs ?
Kind regards
Lee
Hi Lee. Spireas are shrubs and so unfortunately can’t be split like perennials can sadly. Having said that I have found two ways to get the occasional freebie. Sometimes, (not often I’ll admit but it has happened to me 2 or 3 times in the yard) there is a ‘sucker’ that you can sever off in spring. It’s a little bit of the shrub that is beside the original and it really grew up from a shallow root. When the shrub is big you can’t tell, but in spring if you tend you cut that back you can. Use a shovel to dig it out root & all & sever from the main plant then replant elsewhere. It sometimes will grow quite successfully in the new spot. Be careful though that you are not really digging into the main shrub. I also find I get the odd seedling & they do tend to come fairly true to form. These can be transplanted if you let them get a decent sized root first.
Hello,
I have Spirea Goldmound and Neon Flash and love them both. I also have Double Play Red and I have to say it’s a dud. It never blooms red and it isn’t a nice looking plant overall. I was wondering if you have any experience with it? My other Spirea bloom consistently but Double Play Red doesn’t and never has. Am I doing something wrong or maybe I bought into the hype about it being red and floriferous.
Hi Jay, nope sorry no experience with that one but I agree some Spirea’s don’t do well. I’ve actually been pulling a lot of our spirea out. After years of rejuvenation pruning, they just are not doing well anymore. Too woody and the insides have died.
I have Double Play Red in zone 8b, full sun most of the day and it blooms (v dark pink rather than a true red) fine. There is also the dark red early foliage that is very attractive too. Gets big if not pruned hard in spring.
I just came upon your site. I recently moved from Tulsa to Ft. Worth into a newly constructed home with an abundance of full sun. It was landscaped with a few goldmound spirea which gets full sun including intense afternoon rays. What special needs would they have? They are still rather small as this is their first season. Right now in April they are thriving. I’m having to rethink my gardening down here in TX. Thank you very much!
Hi Annette. I’m in Zone 5 Ontario so our climate is very different than yours however I don’t find they need any special care here. I prune them a bit when they are older, usually in spring taking out some of the older branches and give them a bit of organic fertilizer when I do, but that’s it. Very easy care plants. I avoid shearing. While it makes the plant tidier, I find it’s harsh on the plants over time. That might be due to our harsh winters as well though.