Meadowsweet
Spiraea latifolia
White-to-pink summer plumes alive with pollinators along wet ground. Reddish winter stems and a meadow-style habit for informal landscapes.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
High-traffic pollinator hub in wet sunny sites during the mid-summer gap between spring and late-summer bloomers.
Meadowsweet grows in the wet, sunny meadows and stream banks of the northeastern US, producing upright plumes of small white-to-pale-pink flowers from June through July that are alive with native pollinators on warm days. It's not showy in a way that reads from thirty feet away, but stand close and watch the activity on those flower plumes for five minutes and you'll see a dozen species working them. The reddish stems add color in winter. It spreads modestly by suckering to form dense colonies along wet ground, which makes it excellent for wet meadow restorations and rain garden edges. The foliage is fine-textured and clean. This is a plant for natural, informal landscapes, a meadow style, not a clipped border.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown meadowsweet propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant meadowsweet instead of Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 24–48 in wide
- Bloom time
- June–July
- Bloom color
- White, Pink
- USDA zones
- 4–6
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Newfoundland to Virginia, primarily moist meadows and stream banks
Care notes for meadowsweet.
Moist to wet, acidic soil in full sun. Tolerates clay and periodic flooding. Cut to the ground in late winter to rejuvenate. Let colonies expand naturally in wet meadow or rain garden settings; remove suckers if keeping in a more managed border. Very little attention needed once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside meadowsweet.
Or skip the guesswork.
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