Spirea (Spiraea Fritschiana ‘Pink Parasols’)

Features and Characteristics

Spiraea fritschiana is native to forests, forest margins, cliffs, slopes and rocky areas in China and Korea. It is sometimes commonly called Fritsch’s spirea. It is a compact, dense, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub that features quality green foliage, attractive flowers in May-June and good fall color. It typically grows to 2-3’ tall and 3-5’ wide. Ovate, elliptic-ovate or elliptic-oblong, toothed, dark green leaves (to 3” long). Leaves usually turn attractive shades of yellow-orange to red in fall. Numerous, tiny, white flowers in flat-topped clusters (corymbs to 3-5” diameter) bloom above the foliage from late spring to early summer. 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.

‘Pink Parasols’ is pink-flowered cultivar that primarily differs from species plants by having (a) more red tinting on young leaves, (b) pink flowers and (c) larger and more floriferous inflorescences. It is an upright, mounded, bushy, deciduous shrub that typically matures to a compact 2-3’ tall and 3-4’ wide. Ovate leaves (to 2” long) emerge with red tinting, mature to blue-green in summer and turn attractive shades of yellow-orange-red in fall. Numerous, tiny, pink flowers in flat-topped, parasol-like clusters (corymbs to 3-5” diameter) bloom above the foliage from late spring to early summer. Some nurseries currently list ‘Pink Parasols’ or PINK PARASOLS as being synonymous with Spiraea fritschiana ‘Wilma’ (U.S. Plant Patent PP15,39- .