Grow This Birchleaf Spiraea for Its Fall Foliage and More
We love this shrub spring through autumn.
‘Tor’ birchleaf spiraea is a deciduous shrub with a tidy, mounded shape, clusters of bright white, butterfly-attracting spring flowers and vivid red to orange fall foliage color. Its small, rounded leaves offer a finer texture than those of the more familiar pink-flowered Spiraea japonica. 'Tor' is also grown and sold as White Frost birchleaf spiraea.
Since 1998, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has promoted five “GreatPlants” each year, highlighting one species or cultivar per major plant category. 'Tor' birchleaf spiraea was named GreatPlants Shrub of the Year for 2023. Bob Henrickson, Horticulture Program Coordinator for the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, calls this “easily one of the showiest spiraeas, especially in autumn.”
Common name: ‘Tor’ birchleaf spiraea, White Frost birchleaf spiraea
Botanical name: Spiraea betulifolia ‘Tor’
Exposure: Full sun
Flowers: Rounded clusters of small white flowers appear in spring. Light gold stamens decorate the center of each flower and create a fuzzy look.
Foliage: Rounded, shallowly toothed leaves are medium green in spring and summer. They turn impressive shades of gold, bronze and red in the fall.
Habit: This deciduous shrub grows two to three feet tall and three to four feet wide, in a mounded shape.
Origin: The species Spiraea betulifolia is native to Japan and other areas of eastern Asia. The cultivar 'Tor' was bred by Greenleaf Nursery Company.
How to grow it: Provide full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Shearing spent flowers may prompt a light second bloom. Because ‘Tor’ is naturally compact, it should not need pruning. If trimming is desired, do so in late winter. Flowers occur on the new growth of the year. USDA Zones 3–8.
Spring image courtesy of Garden Debut; Autumn image courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery.
