Leaf
Salicyna, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Van Houtte's spiraea
Spiraea x vanhouttei
Also known as: Bridal wreath spiraea, Bridal wreath
Family: Rosaceae
1.5 to 2 m tall
Widely planted in informal hedges
Flowering: May
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Arching twigs entirely white with flowers in May, like a cascade. Japanese spiraea has pink flowers in small flat clusters all summer; Van Houtte's spiraea flowers only once, in spring, in cascades of small white flowers along arching twigs.
🍃 Leaves
Small, ovate, toothed towards the tip only
🌸 Flowers
Small white flowers in dense umbels along arching twigs
🍎 Fruits
Small dry follicles
🪵 Bark
Light brown, slender arching twigs
🗺️ Distribution
Garden hybrid of Chinese origin; widely grown in France as an ornamental shrub, not wild.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very abundant white flowering in spring in cascades, nectar-yielding, visited by bees and hoverflies.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in an informal hedge or border for its spectacular spring flowering.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Van Houtte's spiraea
Spiraea x vanhouttei
Japanese spiraea
Spiraea japonica
Japanese spiraea has pink flowers in small flat clusters all summer; Van Houtte's spiraea flowers only once, in spring, in cascades of small white flowers along arching twigs.
🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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