Spiraea × assimilis
Fortune Meadowsweet
Spiraea japonica
L.f. Species
- Botanical name
- Spiraea japonica
- Also known as
- Fortune Meadowsweet, Japanese Meadowsweet, Japanese Spiraea
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Spiraea
- Flowering period
- June to August
- Height
- 100–150 cm
- Spread
- 100–150 cm
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy (RHS H6)
- Reference
- World Flora Online
How to grow Fortune Meadowsweet
Full sun; golden-leaved forms scorch in the hottest positions
Moderate; water in prolonged dry spells
Most reasonable garden soils
5–6.8
Planting
An easy, compact shrub for the front or middle of a sunny border, often grown as much for its foliage colour as its flowers. It establishes quickly and needs no special treatment.
Pruning
Cut back hard in early spring — to around 15–30 cm above ground on established plants. It flowers on the current season's growth, and this treatment gives better foliage and a tidier shape than light trimming.
Propagation
Softwood cuttings in early summer, or divide the crown of an established plant in autumn.
Pests and diseases
Aphids on new growth are common. Powdery mildew appears in dry summers on plants under stress.
Value to wildlife
The flat pink flowerheads are well used by bees, hoverflies and butterflies through midsummer.
Notes
It self-seeds and has naturalised in some areas; deadheading reduces this and often brings a lighter second flush. Avoid planting it adjacent to woodland or watercourses.
Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.
Other names for this plant
These names have all been used for Spiraea japonica but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.
Spiraea belloides
Spiraea japonica var. fortunei
Spiraea japonica var. glabra
Spiraea japonica var. mayebarai
Spiraea japonica var. typica
Others in Spiraea
GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.