Light: Full sun Soil: wet-medium Mature Height: 5-8 feet Mature Width: 5-8 feet Blooms: June Description: Meadowsweet is found in wet areas and can tolerate some standing water. It does best in good garden soil. It has a columnar growth habit and tends to form colonies under the right growing conditions. The cone-shaped white flower clusters bloom in June. If the plant gets too out of control in height or sprea d, it can be cut to the ground in March and still bloom on the new wood the same year. Attracts: The flowers produce nectar and pollen; they attract bumblebees, various other bees, wasps, adult long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae), and the moth Ctenucha virginica (Virginia Ctenucha). The caterpillars of the butterfly Celastrina argiolus (Spring Azure) feed on the flowers and buds. The caterpillars of several moths also feed on Meadowsweet and other Spiraea spp. (usually the leaves). The leaf beetle Tricholochmaea spiraeae is a specialist feeder of Meadowsweet, while the larvae of several gall gnats also rely on these shrubs as a source of food and habitation. White-Tailed Deer often browse the upper leaves and twigs, while the Cottontail Rabbit occasionally browses the lower leaves and twigs.
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County Store