May Bush

May Bush (Spiraea cantoniensis) is the arching white shrub that turns a whole front garden into blossom for a few weeks each spring. It grows fast to about 2m tall and 2m wide, then holds that size with almost no attention. The canes bend outward under the weight of the flower clusters, which is the look people plant it for.

Why you'll love it

• A serious spring display. Clusters of small white flowers cover the whole plant, hiding the foliage while they last.
• Fast to fill a gap. It puts on size quickly and reaches its 2m by 2m frame in two or three seasons.
• Hardy where many shrubs sulk. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and wind tolerant once established.
• Bees and butterflies work it. The open flower clusters are easy for insects to feed from.
• Very little to do. One prune a year straight after flowering is the whole maintenance schedule.

Where it works best

Informal flowering hedges. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Clipping it square defeats the point, so let the canes arch and simply thin them each year.

Mass planting and borders. Set plants 1m apart in drifts along a fence or driveway. In a mixed border it works as the tall backdrop, with lower perennials hiding the bare lower canes.

Feature planting. A single specimen in a lawn reads well, though it is bare through winter, so pair it with something evergreen.

Growing May Bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering. This is a plant for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens: it wants a genuine winter to set flower buds. In subtropical and tropical gardens it grows leaves but flowers poorly, so choose something else in far northern climates.

Soil. Any reasonable garden soil with drainage suits it. Dig compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep, kept off the stems. It handles slightly alkaline soil better than most flowering shrubs.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A complete slow release fertiliser in late winter, just before the buds break, gives the best flowering.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, never in winter. Flowers form on wood grown the previous year, so a winter cut removes the display. Take a third of the oldest canes out at ground level each year.

What to expect when it arrives

May Bush is grown here in one size, tube stock. A tube is a young rooted plant, typically a single stem 15cm to 25cm tall, and it will look small for the first few months. That is normal, and it is why the price per plant makes a hedge or a drift affordable.

Tubes are light, travel well and go straight into the ground. Expect strong growth from the first warm season, close to full size by the third year, and a first useful flowering in the second spring. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to build an Australian cottage garden
• Browse other deciduous shrubs for seasonal interest
• More bee and butterfly plants to plant alongside it
• Compare low maintenance shrubs for Australian gardens

Common questions

When does it actually flower in Australia?

Spring, usually September and October depending on how far south you are. The common name comes from the northern hemisphere, where it blooms in May.

Will it flower in Brisbane or the tropics?

Not reliably. It needs winter cold to set buds, so warm northern gardens give plenty of leaf and few flowers. Cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens are where it performs.

How far apart for a hedge?

One metre apart. It makes an informal screen rather than a clipped one, and at that spacing the arching canes overlap into a continuous band of flower.

Does it lose its leaves?

Yes, it is deciduous. The foliage colours and drops through late autumn, leaving bare arching canes over winter before the flowers open on them in spring.