May Bush Snowmound

May Bush 'Snowmound' (Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound') is the arching white flowering shrub that carries a cottage garden through spring. It reaches about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide, and the flowers sit so thickly along the branches that the wood disappears. Deciduous, frost hardy and content in poor soil, it is one of the easiest flowering shrubs for a cool garden.

Why you'll love it

• Branches that vanish under white. Clusters of small white flowers line the whole length of each arching stem, not just the tips.
• It shrugs off cold and wind. Frost hardy and wind tolerant, so it holds up in tableland and southern gardens where softer shrubs sulk.
• Poor soil is no obstacle. It grows in thin, rocky or unimproved ground that would stall a rose or a hydrangea.
• A working bee and butterfly plant. The open flowers are easy to feed from, and a hedge hums through the flush.

Where it works best

Informal flowering hedges. Plant 1m apart for a soft hedge to about 1.5m. Let it keep its natural arching shape rather than clipping it square, which removes the flowering wood.

Mass planting and borders. A drift of three or five reads far better than a single plant, and the same 1m spacing gives a continuous mound along a fence.

Feature planting in cottage gardens. One plant carries the spring display in a mixed bed, then settles into a quiet green mound for summer.

Growing May Bush 'Snowmound' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts part shade. This is a genuinely frost hardy plant for cool temperate and warm temperate gardens. It needs winter chill to flower well, so warmer northern gardens are outside its range.

Soil. Any free draining soil, including poor and rocky ground. It only objects to soil that stays waterlogged, so raise the bed on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. A single application of complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is all it needs.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, never in winter, because the display comes on wood grown the previous season. Take a third of the oldest stems out at the base each year to keep the arching habit.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tubes, and 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are the value option for a hedge and usually flower in their second spring. The 140mm plants are a season further along.

Arriving between late autumn and early spring it will be bare stemmed, which is normal for a deciduous shrub. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more deciduous shrubs for seasonal change.
• Low maintenance shrubs for Australian gardens covers easier alternatives.
• Creating a cottage garden in Australia for companion planting ideas.
• See what else suits cool climate gardens.

Common questions

When does it flower?

Spring, with the heaviest show through the middle of the season and colour lasting several weeks. Colder gardens flower a little later.

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

1m apart in a single row gives a continuous informal hedge at about 1.5m. For individual shrubs in a border, allow 1.5m so each keeps its arching outline.

When should I prune it?

Within a few weeks of the last flowers finishing. Pruning in winter or early spring cuts off the wood carrying that year's flowers, which is the usual reason a plant disappoints.

Will it grow in Brisbane or Darwin?

No. It needs winter chill to set flower buds, so it belongs in cool temperate and warm temperate gardens.