Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound' - Snowmound Nippon Spirea (Rosaceae) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound' is a low-arching short, thin, and dense lateral twigs from which most shrub that is urban tolerant and has pure white of the flowers and fruits arise inflorescences that blanket the plant in late spring. Trunk Snowmound Nippon Spirea is a compact and later- -not applicable flowering complement to Vanhoutte Spirea (Spiraea x vanhouttei). It is one of the few small shrubs with a USAGE vased and arching growth habit. Function -specimen, group planting, informal hedge, border, FEATURES entranceway, or foundation shrub Form Texture -small ornamental shrub -fine texture in foliage and when bare -maturing at about 5' tall x 5' -average density in foliage and when bare wide Assets -upright vased growth habit in -showy white inflorescences in late spring youth, quickly becoming arching -vased to arching low growth habit with age -urban tolerance -medium growth rate -fine textured blue-green foliage Culture Liabilities -full sun to partial shade -poor autumn color -performs best in full sun in moist, well-drained soils, -persistent fruiting stalks but is very urban tolerant and adaptable to poor soils, Habitat clay soils, dry soils, soils of various pH, heat, -Zones 3 to 8 drought, and heavy pruning -Native to Japan -propagated primarily by rooted stem cuttings -Rose Family, with numerous potential diseases and SELECTIONS pests, which usually do not manifest themselves Alternates 'Snowmound' is abundantly available in container -urban tolerant dense shrubs of 4-6' in mature height form (Berberis x mentorensis, Forsythia 'Arnold Dwarf', -the numerous small dried fruits and pedicels can be Syringa patula 'Miss Kim', Weigela florida easily removed in late winter or early spring (before 'Variegata', etc.) bud break) by grasping the arching stems at their -late-spring flowering shrubs (Spiraea japonica, bases with a gloved hand and pulling the hand Viburnum dentatum, Weigela florida, etc.) upward along the stems until the fruiting bodies have -small- to medium-sized white-flowering shrubs fallen away (Abeliophyllum distichum, Clethra alnifolia, Foliage Fothergilla gardenii, Hydrangea arborescens -blue-green, alternate, elliptical 'Annabelle', Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet', etc.) to narrowly obovate, about 1" Variants long, with essentially no -Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound' - as described petiole, and sparsely serrated or above is the standard cultivar of this species notched at the apex of the leaf -the species form is virtually unobtainable in the blade nursery trade) -autumn color is green to -Spiraea nipponica 'Halward's Silver' - a slightly yellowish green and ornamentally ineffective more compact form, to 4' x 4' Flowers -white inflorescences of 1" diameter cover the arching foliaged stems of the shrub in late May, like a mound of snow (hence the common name) Fruits -many small clusters of greenish-brown miniature fruits cover the arching stems in summer and are persistent into the following year, not at all ornamental but noticeable and slightly detracting from the foliage and growth habit of the shrub Twigs -dark brown-burgundy and ridged, with many stems originating from the base of the shrub and forming a vased to arching growth habit, and having many.