Spiraea bumalda 'Goldmound' (Spirea)

Height: 80 cm (2 feet)

Spread: 100cm (3 feet)

Bloom: light pink, mid-summer, slight rebloom in late August

Foliage: yellow to chartreuse green but on the brighter yellow side in full sun
Spring foliage: same


Pluses: Foliage colour, size and shape, easy care

I have several Goldmound Spirea's grown mostly for their bright yellow-green foliage colour. They make a great accent plant and good massed. I have several that are now about 30 inches high and 3-4 feet across. The actual size depends on whether or not you prune them back in late July.

Goldmound does not really need to be pruned in July if you don't want to. I usually prune them back at bit in spring prior to or just as they are leafing out for shape and size. This year I pruned some again after they bloomed in July and left some unpruned. The dead flowerheads on Goldmound are pale enough that they do not really detract from the appearance of the plant. If you do prune in July the foliage will be a bit more on the lime-green side until the sun turns new growth yellow but not enough to worry about. I will prune those that were not pruned in July next spring, again just to control the size and shape a bit.

The only exception to this rule, as I have found with all new summer blooming spireas, is that they need heavy pruning two or three times their first two seasons. They grow so fast they are a bit leggy the first and sometimes second season so pruning keeps them bushy and in shape but I have found by the third season they generally keep the nice mounded shape on their own.

Goldmound Spirea in flower in June next to Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'. Flower colour is a very light pink.

Some Goldmound Spireas that were cut back in July after blooming although a few blooms are still showing.

And some not cut back. As you can see the dead flowerheads are not that noticeable and will be even less so in a month with the second flush of new growth.

The same Goldmounds (not cut) by the end of August. The foliage is a little more yellow than lime compared to the cut ones but otherwise still bright. The shaded foliage is more green which is why Goldmounds that are pruned have a more lime-green than yellow green appearance for a while.

A newer Goldmound that was cut back in July has new growth by the end of August.

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