Plant Library

Other Names:  Birchleaf Spirea

Description:

An elegant and versatile garden shrub with tiny white flowers appearing atop a compact, rounded form, fall color is a showy mix of red, yellow and copper; dwarf habit makes it ideal for use in smaller gardens and rock gardens, very low maintenance

Ornamental Features

Tor Spirea features dainty clusters of white flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The small oval leaves turn outstanding shades of red, yellow and coppery-bronze in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Tor Spirea is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tor Spirea is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Tor Spirea will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.