Spirea 'Ogon'
Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' · Rosaceae
Willow-like leaves, as fine as threads, open gold, turn chartreuse for summer and orange in late autumn. Tiny white flowers line the bare stems in very early spring.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early April to late April
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around spirea 'Ogon'
The planner designed this bed around spirea 'Ogon' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why spirea 'Ogon' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Spirea 'Ogon' × 1, white
- 2 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 9, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 17, purple
- 4 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 5, yellow
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Schubert's allium × 4, pink
- 8 Asiatic lily × 5, yellow
- 9 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, bells, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do winter heath and palm sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to false sunflower 'Summer Sun' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early April to late April.
- Part of the bed's peak. With winter heath and spring starflower in early April: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, winter heath and dianthus 'Kahori'. The front edge is finished with dianthus 'Kahori' and winter heath.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 8 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where spirea 'Ogon' goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The finest texture of any shrub, with the lightness of a grass. Use it as a soft, golden haze behind bolder plants. It is one of the last shrubs to drop its leaves.
- Fine, golden texture for three seasons
- Early flowers
- Contrast with bold or dark foliage
What to plant with spirea 'Ogon'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daffodil: in flower together for three weeks, from mid April; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Grape hyacinth: in flower together for two weeks, from mid April; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid May; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about spirea 'Ogon'
Does spirea 'Ogon' need sun or shade?
Spirea 'Ogon' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does spirea 'Ogon' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does spirea 'Ogon' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 6 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should spirea 'Ogon' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many spirea 'Ogon' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is spirea 'Ogon' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like spirea 'Ogon'?
Spirea 'Ogon' comes from Japan and China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Virginia sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early June to early July, medium leaves, not fine.
- Ninebark 'Tiny Wine': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers late May to late June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat spirea 'Ogon'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after spirea 'Ogon'?
Spirea 'Ogon' is over by late April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Bearded iris: from late May to mid June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall.
What does spirea 'Ogon' look like in winter?
Spirea 'Ogon' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is spirea 'Ogon' good for bees and butterflies?
Spirea 'Ogon' is visited by butterflies.
More Spiraea
- Birchleaf spirea 'Tor' Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor'
- Bridal wreath spirea Spiraea x vanhouttei
- Japanese spirea 'Goldflame' Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame'
- Japanese spirea 'Little Princess' Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess'
- Japanese spirea 'Magic Carpet' Spiraea japonica 'Magic Carpet'
- Snowmound spirea Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound'
- Spirea 'Grefsheim' Spiraea x cinerea 'Grefsheim'
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba
In these guides
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: April
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early April to late April; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; chartreuse
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Japan and China
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Stands up to
- Drought, poor soil, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.