SPIRAREA JAPONICA DOUBLE PLAY ARTIST “GALEN” (R.ROYALTY)

Spiraea japonica Double Play Artist ‘Galen’ is a compact and highly ornamental variety of Japanese spirea, appreciated for its combination of lively blooms and decorative foliage. This cultivar belongs to the Double Play series, selected to offer visual interest through both the flowers and the shades of the foliage at different times of the year.
The plant appears as a small deciduous shrub, with a neat and rounded shape, which in adulthood reaches an average of 60–80 cm in height and width. It is ideal for low borders, mixed flowerbeds, rock gardens and for growing in pots. Growth is regular and compact, with a naturally dense structure that does not require constant pruning.
The foliage is one of the most characteristic elements of this variety: the young leaves emerge with bronze or reddish tones, gradually turning to a deep green during the summer season. This change in color creates an effect of continuous interest, even during periods when the plant is not in flower.
The abundant and long-lasting flowering occurs between late spring and early summer, with flat corymbs of purple-magenta flowers, intense and well contrasted with the foliage. The flowers attract bees and butterflies, thus also contributing to the biodiversity of the garden. With a light pruning after the first flowering, it is possible to stimulate a second, more contained flowering towards the end of summer.
Spiraea japonica ‘Double Play Artist’ is a rustic plant, resistant to the cold and undemanding. It prefers positions in full sun, which favor both the intensity of the flowering and the brightness of the leaf colors. It adapts well to moderately fertile, well-drained soils, but also tolerates less ideal soils, as long as they are not subject to water stagnation. It has a good tolerance to drought once well established.
Thanks to its compact growth, long flowering season and low maintenance requirements, Spiraea japonica Double Play Artist ‘Galen’ is an excellent choice for contemporary gardens, mixed beds, urban landscaping projects or potted terraces, where a small shrub with dynamic colours and lively flowering is desired.