Will Neon Flash Spirea Grow in Full Sun in Zone 9?
- Neon Flash is a low-growing Japanese spirea cultivar, rarely reaching more than 3 feet tall and wide. New foliage emerges reddish-green, then changes to dark green as the leaves mature. Flowers are a deep, rich rosy-red.
- Grow Japanese spireas in full sun for best flowering. They bloom on new wood, so the shrubs can be pruned back severely in early spring to control their size or shape. If deadheaded, they'll continue to produce bright rosy-red flowers all summer. Spireas are very drought tolerant once established and are adaptable to a wide range of soils.
- Japanese spireas grow best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, with average winter minimum temperatures of minus 30 to plus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. These shrubs require a distinct winter rest period and don't grow well in warm winter areas.
- The bottom line is that Neon Flash spireas are not suitable shrubs for zone 9 gardens, but not because of the heat from the summer sun, which they do tolerate. Winters in zone 9 are too warm for Japanese spireas, which need an extended cold dormancy. Without it, Neon Flash shrubs will decline.