There is nothing more beautiful than a well-kept garden planted with flowers and bushes. Especially in the springtime, when everything starts to bloom, it is impossible to pass by without admiring. Particularly noteworthy are the gray spirea bushes Grefshem.
Spirea Gray "Grefsheim": Description
Spirea "Grefshaym" - this is one of the grades of gray spirea and is its hybrid. Gray Spirea "Grefshaym" has such characteristics: the bush can reach a height of 1.5 - 2 meters. It has the shape of a ball with smoothly curving reddish branches. The leaves of this ornamental shrub are pointed, about 3 cm long, and 1 cm wide.
Spirea begins its flowering in May and blooms for more than a month. The flower in gray spirea "Grefshaym" white, about 1 cm in diameter. Flowers grow in inflorescences, in the form of umbrellas and are evenly distributed throughout the branch, resembling a garland.
Conditions for growing spirea "Grefshaym"
Spirey "Grefsheym" refers to unpretentious plants. But nevertheless, you need to know some of the important conditions that the Grefsheim spiraea requires for planting and maintenance in the open field. 
The choice of lighting
Before you grow a spirea, you need to choose a suitable place for it. First you need to pay attention to the lighting. Spirea loves light, so a place for growing and further care should be chosen well lit. In the penumbra, the ornamental shrub can slow down in growth.
If you are in search of a shade-loving plant for a garden plot, then you should pay attention to: astilba, aconite, brunner, dicentre, volzhanka, kamnelomku, swimming bath, lupine, host
Soil for planting
Spirea "Grefshaym" does not require specific care, but for its planting it is necessary to pay attention to the choice of soil in which it will grow. Spirea "Grefshaym" takes root in any land, as long as it is not over dried. 
How to plant seedlings spirea "Grefsheym"
Planting spirea seedlings can be carried out in the fall. You can plant spirea in the spring, until the growing season.
Important! To plant a spirea, you need to choose a large area, because its roots are growing very strongly.
Selection of seedlings and soil preparation
A good seedling should not have leaves. When buying seedlings of gray spirea bush Grefsheim, you need to pay attention to the roots. If the root system is open, then there should not be blackness and cuts on it. Roots must be flexible and wet. If the seedling is sold in a pot, then you need to pay attention to whether the roots have not sprouted through the drainage holes. If yes, then the plant is old and it will be bad to take root.
If the acquired seedlings have an open root system, then they should be prepared this way:
- Roots that are damaged or too long are trimmed with shears. Attention should be paid to the place of the cut - it should not be stratified.
- The shoots of the seedlings are cut to one third of the entire length.
Seedling planting scheme
Before planting a seedling in a pit, you must:
- fluff and unravel the roots;
- clean the roots from the dry ground, keeping the main room in which the seedling was located.
The gray spirea will dissolve its flowers for the first time in the third - fourth year after planting.
Did you know? From sulfur spirea, you can get the glycoside salicin. With chemical treatment, this component turns into aspirin.
How to care for gray spirea
Ornamental shrubs are unpretentious, so caring for gray spirea does not cause much trouble.
Watering and soil care
Spiraea does not require frequent watering. It is necessary to water a decorative bush twice a month, pouring one and a half buckets of water under it. If there is a drought, you need to water more often. The soil where the ornamental shrub grows must be well permeable. The land around the plant needs to be loosened and weed free. It is advisable to cover the roots of Spirea for the winter by sprinkling a thick layer of foliage on them. 
Plant nutrition and fertilizer
For feeding spirey "Grefsheym" use chicken droppings or cow infusion. Fertilize the plant before flowering and after spring pruning.
Spirea pruning
Particular attention should be paid to pruning shrubs. Pruning spirea is best done in July, after flowering. Young branches that have bloomed, pruned to strong buds. Spirea buds are formed all over the stalk, so every year pruning is not worth it. It is only necessary to remove frozen, crooked, dry branches. Every spring, the spirea bush is pruned, if it is more than four years old. Spiraea is cut and leaves are 30 cm tall. If new shoots develop poorly after pruning, the bush should be divided and transplanted. 
Important! When pruning the living buds of the spirea, the gray one will not bloom. During the first spring pruning, weak shoots should be removed and shortened to the place where the large buds are located.
Reproduction of gray grease spirea
If you want to breed spirea for sale or for planting in your garden, you need to know how to propagate it. 
In the gray spirea Grefsheim reproduction can occur by grafting. To do this, select woody branches. They are cut, remove the top and part of the leaves. The stalk is planted in a damp, loose earth. To seedlings were strong, when planting you need to adhere to the distance between them about 20 cm. In order for the seedlings to grow healthy, you need to keep them in a warm place with good humidity in the greenhouse. If there is no greenhouse, you can simply observe that the land where the sapling grows does not dry out. Cuttings will grow quickly if they are watered frequently. It is possible to transplant the cuttings into the open ground as soon as they take root. You can do this in spring and autumn.
You can also propagate the spirea by dividing the rhizome. This should be done in the fall. The bush is dug out, shake off the sticky ground. Split so that each bush has two shoots and strong lobe of roots. When landing in the soil it is necessary to make a drainage.
Major Diseases and Pests
The main pests of the spiraea "Grefsheym" include spider mite, aphid. If you notice a spider web, a hole in the leaves, and the bush looks unhealthy, the spirea has become a victim of the spider mite. It is necessary to spray the shrub with "Karbofos" solution.
If half of the green leaves of the spirea are curled and its inflorescences are affected, then aphid has settled on the shrub. She sucks the juice from the inflorescences. In order to overcome the aphids, the bush should be sprayed with a solution of "Pyrimora." Spiraea gray rarely exposed to diseases and pests. It is necessary to carry out prevention in time, treating the shrub with chemicals to prevent trouble.
Gray Spirayu "Grefshaym" often used for decoration in landscape design. Florists appreciate this shrub, as it does not require much care. Ornamental shrub becomes a great decoration on any site.
