Double Play Doozie® Spirea

Overview Uses: Mixed borders, low hedges, mass plantings, and outdoor containers. Benefits: The first reblooming spirea. New leaves emerge bright red, followed by glowing purple-red flowers from late spring into fall. It produces no seed, so it puts its energy into blooming and stays compact and mounded with little pruning. Drought tolerant once established. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–8 Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub Growth Habit: Mounding, Rounded — compact and dense. Bloom Color: Purple-Red Foliage Color: Red new growth, maturing to Green Mature Height: 2–3 feet Mature Width: 2–3 feet Bloom Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Growth Rate: Moderate Summary Spirea color that keeps coming back from late spring until frost. Most spireas give one good flush of flowers and then rest. Double Play Doozie® keeps going. Its purple-red flower clusters open in late spring, and new ones keep forming through summer and into fall without any deadheading to bring them on. The clusters are also larger than those of typical Japanese spireas, so each round of bloom reads clearly from a distance. The foliage adds a second layer of color. New growth comes in bright red and settles to green as it matures, so the branch tips stay colorful as long as the plant is growing, and the leaves take on red tones again in fall. It is also seedless. Ordinary Japanese spireas can self-sow into nearby fields and woods, but Doozie sets no seed, so it stays where you plant it. The plant forms a tidy, rounded mound about two to three feet tall and wide, a size that fits the front of a border, a low hedge, or a large patio container. Butterflies visit the flowers, deer generally leave it alone, and once established it rides out dry spells well. Care Double Play Doozie® Spirea Care Plant in full sun to partial shade. Full sun brings the most flowers and the brightest red new growth; in partial shade it still blooms, a little more lightly. It grows in a wide range of well-drained soils and is not particular about pH. Avoid spots where water stands for long periods. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season while roots establish. After that, it tolerates periods of drought, though a deep soak during long dry stretches keeps the flowers coming. Feeding needs are light. One application of a slow release fertilizer in early spring supports steady growth and repeat bloom. Pruning is optional. The plant keeps a compact shape on its own and does not need deadheading to rebloom. If you want to tidy it or reduce its size, trim it back in late winter before new growth starts, or shear it lightly after a flush of flowers to bring on fresh red growth. Growing in Containers Its compact size and long bloom season make it a good choice for a large patio container. Use a pot with open drainage holes and a quality potting mix. Container plants dry out faster than plants in the ground, so check moisture often in warm weather, and feed lightly each spring, since frequent watering washes nutrients out of the mix. Roots in containers experience greater cold exposure than roots in the ground. Plants hardy in the ground may require winter protection when grown in containers in colder zones. Size What Size is the Double Play Doozie® Spirea for Sale Online? Our Double Play Doozie® Spirea ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us. How Large Does Double Play Doozie® Spirea Grow? Expect about 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide at maturity, in a dense, rounded mound. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart for a low hedge or mass planting. Additional Information What is the botanical name of Double Play Doozie® Spirea? The botanical name is Spiraea Double Play Doozie® ‘NCSX2’. It is a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrub selected for repeat bloom and a seedless, compact habit. Do I need to deadhead it to get more flowers? No. It keeps producing new flower clusters from late spring into fall on its own. Shearing off a finished round of flowers is optional; it tidies the plant and brings on a fresh flush of red leaves, but the rebloom does not depend on it. Will it spread by seed like other Japanese spireas? No. Double Play Doozie® is sterile and sets no seed, so it will not self-sow into lawns, fields or woodland edges the way the common species can. That makes it a good choice where invasive spirea is a concern. Is it deer resistant? Yes. Deer generally pass over spireas, and this one is a dependable choice for yards with regular deer traffic, though no plant is completely deer proof when food is scarce. See more in our Deer-Resistant Shrubs and Evergreens. How well does it handle dry weather? Once its roots are established, usually after the first growing season, it tolerates periods of drought without losing its shape. Regular water still brings the heaviest rebloom. Browse more plants that handle dry spells in our Drought-Tolerant Plants.