Spiraea Species, White Meadowsweet, Narrow-leaved Meadowsweet

This pretty, medium-sized shrub grows fast and can spread quickly by underground roots, especially in wet soils, so it is good as a mass ...Read Moreplanting. I planted one in my backyard in se PA in 2003 when the site was totally sunny and the plant materials still small and it was aggressive and invading the neighboring plants. I removed it after three years and planted it in the wild, but could not find it later, as the open woods were infested with rough strong plants already. In 2017 I planted another specimen in my backyard natural garden which had become part-shade with full-grown plants around and it has not been aggressive. It does well in my good clay soil that has a pH of about 6.7 to 6.9. It grows the most in nature in very acid to slightly acid wet soils, but it does well in regular silt-clay soil with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5 or even higher. It blooms in late June - July and can have average yellow fall color or poor yellowish fall color depending on the weather and specimen. It is native to the Mid-Atlantic, down the Appalachians, around the Great Lakes, and up into central Canada. I've seen some good specimens planted in the silty, moist, well-drained, about pH 7.0, soils of northeast Illinois and I planted two in a church landscape where they are doing well in moist, well-drained, good silt-clay soil in southeast PA. One can always cut the shrub down to the ground in late winter for any control and it will bloom on new wood. It is sold by a number of native plant nurseries. The Narrowleaf variety really only differs from the Broadleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba latifolia) by having narrow leaves about 3/4 inches wide versus about 1.5 to 3 inches for the other variety. It has a finer texture.

We have this growing wild on our farm, east of the Ohio Valley. It grows down in an old rock quarry near our little creek and in the fen...Read Morece lines, and is very attractive to butterflies and bees. I have a piece up in the yard and, yes it will spread out, but is easily controlled. I have found it actually less likely to take over than the S. tomentosa

This shrub attracts bees and butterflies. It does well in Oklahoma, reaching a heigh of about 4'. Flowers are white.

This native American species is very similar to Spirea latifolia, except the flowers are white rather than pale pink. Like S. latifolia,...Read More it can be invasive but is useful in a wildflower or butterfly garden. It is also tolerant to wet, acidic soil. It grows mostly west of the Ohio Valley while S. latifolia is mostly east.