Spiraea japonica Double Play Doozie - Japanese Spirea

The Double Play Doozie Japanese Spirea is part of a series of Spiraea japonica selected for their small size and beautifully coloured foliage. With a compact habit, it develops reddish-orange foliage in spring, turning dark green with red shoots in summer. The summer flowering is produced in clusters of dark pink-red flowers. In autumn, the foliage returns to its reddish-orange colour. Low-maintenance and easy to care for, this lovely little bush finds a place in all gardens, even the smallest ones. Its compact and rounded habit makes it ideal for borders or low-growing beds, as well as for container gardening.

The Double Play Doozie Japanese Spirea belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is a cultivar derived from Spirea japonica, a botanical species native to China and Japan. This plant has a fast growth rate and will reach an average size of 70 to 80 cm in all directions. Forming a dense and bushy small shrub with a rounded habit, this variety displays original foliage with refined and changing tones. Tinged with reddish-orange during bud burst, it gradually turns dark green with always red young shoots. It turns red and orange in autumn before falling off. Its small leaves are oblong and have toothed edges. The flowers appear on the current year's growth, from June to July, and again until the end of summer if the faded ones are removed. They are grouped in medium-sized terminal clusters, about 6-8 cm wide, slightly spherical. They are composed of numerous small purple-red flowers. This extended flowering period is also honey-producing and nectar-rich, attracting many butterflies, bees, and bumblebees.

The Double Play Doozie Spirea is a variety that can adapt to various climates and soil types, except for extremely hot or arid conditions. It is suitable for multiple uses: as a low hedge, as a central structure in a perennial bed, or in large borders. This plant also performs well in container gardening on terraces and balconies, with regular water fertiliser applications. Combine Japanese Spirea with white, pink, or mauve roses, shrubby potentillas, Caryopteris, and shrubby salvias. It also fits well as the front row of a country hedge, alongside other varieties such as Spiraea betulifolia, Salix purpurea 'Nana', Miss Kim Dwarf Manchurian Lilac, Buddleia alternifolia 'Unique', and Dwarf Weigela Nana purpurea.