Spirea is a perennial grown for its red blooms, which open in fall and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 11 and shrugs off deer. Its fall flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Spirea — the short answer
Spirea: grown in zones 5–11, part sun, pH 5–6.8.
- USDA zones
- 5–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–6.8
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Spirea on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether spirea actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score spirea against your land's real conditions.
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What Spirea is
Spirea grows as a perennial and reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms red in fall. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Spirea
Spirea grows in USDA zones 5 through 11. Spirea does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 6.8. It needs a growing season of at least 145 frost-free days and about 500 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 6.8
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Cold Hardiness
-23°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
4 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
500+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
145+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant spirea in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Spirea prefers pH 5 to 6.8 (USDA PLANTS). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut spirea blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Spirea thrives
Spirea is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–11 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 29 outright and splits 21 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–11·Where Spirea growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Spirea stands, state by state
Spirea is rated for zones 5–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 29 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 21 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–11
29 states
3 of 29 shown
The line runs through
21 states
3 of 21 shown
Spirea’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–11
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Spirea
Growing guides for spirea
In rotation planning, spirea counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — spirea isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Spirea offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Your land is one point inside Spirea's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Spirea will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether spirea actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Spirea
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Spirea in my zone?
Spirea grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Spirea?
Time spirea to your own season rather than the calendar, leaving enough of the season for its 145-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Spirea need?
Spirea does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Spirea need?
Spirea prefers soil pH 5 to 6.8 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Spirea attract pollinators?
Yes — spirea's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Spirea safe for pets?
Spirea is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Spirea
Spirea state by state
Every state spirea's zone reaches — 30 link straight to that state's spirea growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.