False Spiraea 'Sem'

Sorbaria 'Sem' (Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem') opens the season in copper-pink flame. The young pinnate leaves, so like those of a rowan, emerge in bronze-pink and yellow tones, turn green through summer, and the tips of new shoots stay golden for a long while. The lacy crown glows even from a distance.

From June to August the shrub is dressed in fluffy white panicles. It grows to 0.9-1.2 m tall and 1.5-1.8 m wide, spreads sideways and holds soil superbly on a slope or a pond bank. Unlike the wild species, 'Sem' throws far fewer root suckers, so it creeps outwards far more calmly.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The fluffy white panicles smell of honey and draw bees to the shrub from all over the garden.
• Dimensions: A mature bush stands 0.9-1.2 m tall and spreads 1.5-1.8 m wide.
• Hardiness: Overwinters without cover - it takes frosts down to -45.6 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Flowering: From June to August narrow pyramidal panicles woven from fine white flowers open.
• Light: Grows in full sun or light partial shade, but the brightest spring leaf colour comes with sun.
• Soil: Likes a moderately fertile, organic-rich, evenly moist and well-drained soil - any pH suits it.
• Watering: Moderate, even watering without drying out; it is equally happy along the edge of a pond.
• Care: Cut out root suckers in winter, and in late winter prune the bush hard, right down to ground-level rejuvenation.
• Landscape use: Suits city and cottage gardens, coastal sites and flower borders, and its roots hold slopes against erosion.
• Origin: The cultivar is protected by US patent PP16336 and a PBR mark, so it is a patented selection.