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Goldmound Spirea

Spiraea japonica (sp-i-REE-a ja-PON-i-ka)

Family: Rosaceae Unknown Shrub (3-15 ft)

'Gold Mound’ spiraea is a dense, woody, deciduous shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is a hybrid cross between Spiraea japonica ‘Alpina’ and Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’ that grows 2 to 3.5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Plant this spiraea in full sun or partial shade, in moist, well-drained soil. It will tolerate a wide range of soils but prefers organically rich loams. Prune in the late winter to early spring as flowers appear on new wood. Removing the faded flowers will promote additional blooms. ‘Gold Mound’ may self-seed and spread by suckering, leading it to appear weedy. It is resistant to deer, erosion and pollution. Compact and mounding in habit, this shrub boasts showy, small pink flowers that appear in late spring and attract butterflies. Its characteristically golden leaves make an excellent contrast to other landscape plants. Use this shrub as a specimen, in small groups or a mass planting in a shrub border, low hedge, foundation planting or naturalized area. Plant it in a large container on a patio or alongside a walkway. Use it in a cottage, butterfly, pollinator, rock or coastal garden. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Common insect problems include aphids, redbanded leaf roller, white-lined leaf roller, armored scale and soft scale. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Spiraea japonica .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 57 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 3 - Shrub (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Spiraea japonica Limemound® 'Monhub'
Fills a similar niche Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' Rhododendron hybrids Spiraea japonica Limemound® 'Monhub'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Shrub
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 6 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are gold in early spring when they first leaf out and mature to green-gold. Fall bring intresting shades of yellow, orange and/or red.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tiny pink late spring flowers appear on 3-inch-wide corymbs. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage rebloom. Flowers appear on new wood.
Bloom time
Summer
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Flowers attract butterflies.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators; Colorful; Easy to Grow
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Container; Naturalized Area; Patio; Walkways
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting; Hedge; Mass Planting; Screen/Privacy; Small groups; Specimen
Garden tags
#foundation planting #flowers late spring #deciduous shrub #rock garden #pink flowers #specimen #fall color yellow #mass planting #small flowers #fall color red #fall color orange #nectar plant #nectar plant late spring #deer resistant #low maintenance #full sun tolerant #butterfly friendly #fall interest #suckers #showy leaves #suckering shrub #suckering #naturalizes #compact #clay soils tolerant #naturalized area #fall color #hedge #wildlife friendly #hortcontest #shrub border #small groups #walkway
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Redbanded Leafroller; White-lined Leafroller; Armored Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants; Soft Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants
Problems
Weedy
Resistant to
Deer; Erosion; Pollution
Particularly resistant to
erosion, clay, air pollution, deer

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.