Spiraea thunbergii Ogon - Thunberg Spirea

Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' is a variety of Thunberg Spirea with a beautiful golden spring foliage that turns slightly green in summer. It has an elegant, bright foliage with a fine texture, reminiscent of willow leaves. From early spring, its slender and flexible branches are covered with small white flowers. In autumn, the shrub takes on shades of rust and pinkish orange. Plant it in isolation on a lawn, integrate it into a flower bed or even in a small flowering hedge.

Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' is a Japanese cultivar also sold under the names 'Mellow Yellow' or Gold Thread™. The species, Thunberg Spirea, nicknamed "baby's breath" by English speakers, is a very long-lived shrub native to China. It is a plant of the Rosaceae family. The 'Ogon' variety, with fairly rapid growth, develops slender, thin, flexible branches. Its habit is slightly arched, and the plant is generally wider than it is tall. Eventually, it will reach between 1m and 1.50m in height and 1.25m to 1.75m in spread. The abundant flowering takes place between late March and April, depending on the climate, shortly before the leaves appear. The white flowers with 5 petals, solitary or grouped in small clusters, appear along the previous year's branches. Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' has a dense, deciduous foliage in winter. Its leaves are thin, measuring 4cm long and 1.5cm wide. The soft textured leaves are coarsely toothed along the edges. The young leaves are bronze-copper, becoming yellow as they unfold, and then slightly tinged with green until late summer. In autumn, the foliage takes on beautiful shades of rust and pinkish orange. This shrub bears small fruits of no horticultural interest, but they are attractive and nourishing for birds.

The 'Ogon' Thunberg Spirea is a bright, elegant and colourful plant, and also one of the first spiraeas to bloom in spring. It can be planted in a large border or even in a small flowering hedge. To create a spring scene, it can be planted with a 'Raspberry Profusion' Abelia that blooms pink from May to October, a 'Jet Trail' Japanese Quince with abundant white flowers from March-April, or a Prunus x cistena which is also one of the first flowering shrubs. Add a white rose 'Irene of Denmark' that will take over until October. The 'Ogon' spirea is suitable for Japanese-style, English, naturalistic, rustic, romantic gardens... as well as small urban gardens.