Goldflame Spirea
Spirea x bumalda 'Goldflame'
Goldflame Spirea
Spirea x bumalda 'Goldflame'
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
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The Goldflame Spirea is one of the most colorful shrubs available, particularly in cold zones. Dome-shaped, it reaches 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, and the foliage color is ever-changing. The new growth in spring is fiery bronzy-red, quickly turning bright yellow. Then it cools down to yellow-green for summer, before bouncing back in fall with a kaleidoscope of gold, orange, and coppery-red. Use it around your garden to brighten up your beds in every seasons, and to create beautiful edgings that really finish them beautifully. Grow it in planters, among rocks, and on slopes and banks. Wherever you plant it you will love it.
- Powerful changing foliage colors really stand out
- Spring growth is bright red, turning yellow
- Summer leaves are greenish-yellow, turning red and orange in fall
- The ideal plant for easy-care color splashed around the garden
- Tough, cold-resistant and reliable
Grow the Goldflame Spirea in full sun or light partial shade. It thrives in zone 3, yet this is also the most heat tolerant of all the Japanese Spirea varieties, growing well even in zone 8. It grows happily in any garden soil, except for places that are always wet and boggy. It has no pests or diseases, it tolerates urban conditions, and deer ignore it. A quick trim in late winter or early spring is all it takes to keep it neat and tidy. This super-easy shrub is a delight to see and a breeze to grow.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 3-8
- Mature Width 3-4
- Mature Height 3-4
- Sun Needs Full Sun, Partial Sun
Brightly colored foliage is always an asset in the garden, and when it comes on a shrub that gives several colors through the year, for almost no work from you, then we really have something valuable. Combine that with a compact size that suits any garden, cold resistance, drought tolerance, and general hardiness, and you have a plant that becomes a valuable ‘work-horse’ in every garden. Well, there is such a plant – it’s the Goldflame Spirea.
The Goldflame Spirea is a small deciduous shrub that grows between 3 and 4 feet tall, and that spreads out the same distance. It has a dense, twiggy structure that reaches to the ground, creating a rounded, dome-shaped plant. It has a unique combination of foliage colors, making it a powerful feature in the garden. The spring growth is a rich and fiery bronzy-red – the ‘flame’ of its name – and as the leaves mature they quickly turn bright lemon yellow, with the young leaves on the tips of each shoot remaining red. In summer that lemon yellow changes into a cool greenish-yellow, one of the most fashionable and desirable garden colors around. Then in fall it transforms into a whole pallet of yellow, orange and coppery-red, making a wonderful show. The leaves are oval and pointed, between 2 and 3 inches long, with soft teeth along the edges.
In June and July, the Goldflame Spirea flowers, with 3 to 6-inch flat clusters of tiny purplish-pink flowers. These attract butterflies, and their color makes a striking contrast with the foliage. If you trim the flowers as they fade, more will often come, right into September.
Use the Goldflame Spirea as a bright accent plant in the foreground of your beds, around your home or out in the garden. Plant it in clusters and drifts to fill larger spaces with weed-smothering easy-care bushes. Space the plants 2 to 2½ feet apart, scattering them, rather than planting in rows Use it among rocks with other small bushes, like blue trailing evergreens, or small upright plants. It is great for slopes and banks, as the stems and roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Plant it in a row along the edge of a large bed, either in a lawn or against a driveway or terrace. Because it has such powerful foliage colors, this is a great plant for making low hedges, up to 2 feet tall. It clips well, soon re-sprouting with brightly colored leaves, and its an ever-changing bright feature you will love. Because the foliage is so colorful, this is one plant where you won’t mind losing the flowers when you trim. These colorful low hedges really brighten your garden, and they only need trimming a couple of times in the year.
The Goldflame Spirea will be most colorful in full sun all day, but it will also grow with a couple of hours of shade each day, and shade in winter, when it is dormant, is not a problem. It grows well in any ordinary garden soil, as long as it is not constantly wet. It is hardy even in zone 3 and this particular Japanese Spirea variety is notable for its great heat resistance too, so it is perfectly happy even in zone 8. Wherever you live, you can grow this easy plant – easily. It has no notable pests or diseases, it thrives in urban gardens, and deer normally leave it alone. If you have several, or a hedge, then trimming with shears at least once a year, in late winter, will keep it neat. If you like pruning you can also prune more carefully in spring, removing weak, twiggy branches, and a few of the oldest stems, but this detail is optional.
The Goldflame Spirea is a unique variety of the Japanese Spirea, properly called Spirea x bumalda. This hybrid plant, found in gardens in Japan in the 19th century, is probably a cross between a plant called Spirea albiflora, and the Japanese Spirea, Spirea japonica. Some people consider ‘Goldflame’ to simply be a variety of the Japanese Spirea, but for gardeners it doesn’t really matter. The original plant grown in Europe was brought to England from Japan in the 1870s, and we know that plant today as ‘Anthony Waterer’. Over the years that original variety produced novel branches, with unusual foliage, which became new varieties. The variety called ‘Goldflame’ happened in that way, and it was introduced in 1972 by the nursery F.J. Grootendorst, in Boskoop, Holland. That nursery and that area have given us many, many wonderful garden plants. Our plants are produced from stem pieces, to retain the exact features of the original, that make this plant so desirable.
The Goldflame Spirea is a true garden staple, especially in colder areas, where the choices are more limited. Use it freely around your garden and enjoy the easy color it brings. But order now, because everyone else loves it too, and buys it from us as fast as we can re-stock. Don’t wait.
