Plant Encyclopedia

Little Princess Spirea

Spiraea japonica

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Little Princess Spirea round shape with pink flowers

Discover More Information On Little Princess Spirea

With its attractive mint green leaves and bright pink clusters of blooms, the Little Princess spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’) is an excellent addition to your landscape. Since it is small and colorful, this spirea is a bright shrub for those smaller gardens. If you want a gorgeous shrub that bursts with color, then it is time to select the Little Princess spirea for your next project.

Plant Attributes

The flowering begins on this spirea during the spring. The small reddish-pink flowers form in clusters above the leaves. In many cases, the blooms last throughout the summer. The Little Princess spirea has small green leaves on its branches. When cold weather arrives, those oval-shaped leaves transform into shades of red. This spirea will be a beautiful element in your autumn garden. With its dense, compact habit, the Little Princess spirea can fit into any type of landscape. This spirea spreads out to 3 feet in width, and it can reach a height of 1 to 2 feet.

Landscape Use

When grown as a single plant, the Little Princess spirea is the ideal shrub for a smaller garden. Since it does not have an extensive root system, it is small enough to thrive in planter boxes and larger pots. You can add some annual flowering plants around this shrub for that extra boost to your yard. If you are looking for an exceptional shrub as an informal hedge, then the Little Princess spirea might be the right choice for you. You can use these shrubs to line a patio or a garden bed.

While these shrubs excel in those smaller gardens, they can benefit some larger spaces too. You will want to plant this Little Princess spirea in front of a taller shrub to create depth in your landscape. When added to a mixed planting of shrubs, flowers, and evergreens, the Little Princess spirea shines in your yard. The compact spirea is also the perfect choice to fill a narrow space along a driveway. With its pink blooms, the Little Princess spirea is a great addition to a butterfly and bird garden.

Planting & Care

The Little Princess spirea thrives in those areas with partial shade to full sun. It prefers soil that is not constantly wet. This type of spirea is best suited for USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9. If you live in a colder climate, the Little Princess spirea can handle temperatures below freezing without any issues. Once the snow has melted, your spirea will be ready for the spring growing season.

The Little Princess spirea can tolerate moderate drought conditions. If your area experiences periods without rain, make sure to grab the hose and allow this shrub to have a drink of water. There are no significant diseases or pests that affect this little shrub. It is a low-maintenance plant that will return year after year without much work from you.

However, if you want to enjoy those brilliant pink blooms in the spring, you need to prune this shrub. Before the new leaves arrive, a light trimming should be done on the Little Princess spirea. You can allow the shrub to grow naturally, but many people prefer to give this shrub a tight shape for the season. You want to remove about one-third of the stems on the shrub. With this process, you can snip off the thinnest branches and shorten the thicker stems. This light pruning encourages new flowers and keeps the plant in a compact form.

For those informal hedges, you will want a hard prune in the early spring. This trimming can help the shrub fill out for a thicker hedge throughout the year. No matter what you do, the Little Princess spirea will bring charm and color to your landscape.

Additional Information

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Little Princess Spirea

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Those mint green leaves provide an excellent backdrop for the small clusters of reddish-pink blooms. Its compact, rounded form is the perfect choice for shrub borders and small gardens. The Little Princess spirea works wonders as a low hedge, specimen plant, or accent piece for your landscape. Since it can thrive throughout most areas of the United States, you will definitely want to add this treasure to your yard.

If you are interested in the Little Princess spirea for your next project, Arbor Valley Nursery is ready to help. Please take a few minutes to fill out the contact form to get more information about this dazzling shrub.

Plant Features

  • Plant Type: Shrub
  • Watering Needs: Water regularly – weekly, or more often in extreme heat.
  • Botanical Pronunciation: spy-REE-a juh-PON-ih-kuh
  • Deciduous/evergreen: Deciduous
  • Growth rate: Moderate
  • Average landscape size: Moderate growing; reaches 2’ tall and 2-3’ wide.
  • Special features: Compact Form, Easy Care, Fall Color, Tolerates Urban Pollution
  • Foliage color: Green
  • Blooms: late spring into summer and then repeating blooming if deadheaded
  • Flower color: Pink
  • Flower attributes: Showy Flowers
  • Garden style: Cottage, Rustic
  • Design Ideas: This low-growing shrub is a fine choice for the sunny border either planted in a group or alone. It can also be used as a divider planted along a path or sidewalk.
  • Companion Plants: Barberry (Berberis); Spruce (Picea); Coneflower (Echinacea); Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum); Salvia (Salvia)
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