steeplebush
Spiraea tomentosa
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall3 to 5 feet wide
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Pink to rose-purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) is a shrub for borders, hedges, meadows, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Pink to rose-purple flowers form dense, steeple-shaped plumes at the tips of slender stems. The bark is orange to reddish-brown and peels, and the fall leaves turn yellow. It sits low on the menu for deer.
Pairs well with Winterberry, New Jersey tea, Royal fern, and Sensitive fern.
Native range
Northern and central Europe and eastern United States.