About
A vigorous, thicket-forming shrub with leaves to 30cm in length, composed of lance-shaped, toothed leaflets and, in mid and late summer, bearing terminal panicles to 40cm in length of small white flowers.
About the genus
Sorbaria are large, deciduous suckering shrubs with attractive pinnate leaves and small, white, spiraea-like flowers borne in large terminal panicles in summer
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, North-facing, West-facing, East-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH5
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs
HabitSuckering
FoliageDeciduous
Height2.5-4 metres
Spread2.5-4 metres
Time to full height10-20 years
Suggested usesMixed borders, hedging, foundation planting.
Native toChina, Tibet
Care notes
CultivationBest grown in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Useful for waterside plantings but neglected plants can rapidly form thickets when it would have the potential to become a nuisance
PruningPruning group 2 or pruning group 6; sucker removal in winter
PropagationPropagate by semi-hardwood cuttings in mid-summer or propagate by seed sown in containers in a coldframe in autumn. Rooted suckers can be transplanted in winter or autumn
Pest resistanceGenerally pest-free
Disease resistanceGenerally disease-free