Name:  Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ aka Ogon spirea.

Type of Plant:  This is a shrub that has several valuable traits. It stays under 5 feet tall, flowers for several weeks in the spring, and has thin, golden to lime-green leaves all summer. Hardy in Zones 4-8

Why I Love/Hate this plant:  I love the loose, rounded shape and the foliage that’s yellow in the spring and fall, and a light, lime-green in the summer. I appreciate how this plant provides early spring flowers as a background shrub for my perennial garden.

A Word to the Wise: The leaves have their best yellow color in the sun, but the plant will grow in part-sun to part-shade. Because this shrub looks best with its natural, fountain-type growth, it should not be sheared. The only pruning you might do is to remove deadwood. If the plant needs a total renewal, cut it down to about six inches in the spring and start over.

Spirea Ogon looks best with a natural, loose, fountain-like habit.

The long branches are filled with many small, white flowers.

This is an especially valuable plant for the back of a spring perennial garden, since there aren’t many large plants in flower early in the season.

In the summer, the bright green foliage adds color and contrast to the full-bloom perennial garden.