Meadowsweet is a native deciduous shrub in the Roseaceae (rose) family that is typically found in the eastern portion of North America including North Carolina. It grows naturally in bogs, swamps, wet meadows, along stream banks, and shore areas. Boasting fragrant flowers and a beautiful yellow fall color. Growing in both full sun and part shade, however to grow at its best, locate this plant in full sun. It is sensitive to heat and does not perform well in dry conditions. Its young branches are green and hairless. As the branches age, they become brown and woody. Its upper side of the foliage is medium green, while the underside is a pale green. It 1/4" flowers bloom from the top downward. Flowers have 5 petals and many long stamens that surround a center ring. The ring ranges in color from orange to pink to yellow. Long stamens are fuzzy in appearance. Removing flower clusters after they are finished blooming will promote additional blooms. Pruning can be accomplished in the winter months. This shrub is a larval host as well a nectar source for a variety of pollinators including the Spring azure ( Celastrina ladon ) butterfly so is at home in a children's, cottage, or rain garden. It works well mass planted in a border, used as a hedge, or planted along a walkway or lawn. Use it as an accent plant near a patio or pond and enjoy the showy fragrant blooms all summer. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Typically disease and insect free. Some issues affecting meadowsweet are leaf spot, aphids, scale, powdery mildew, and fireblight. More information on Spiraea .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Green-yellow, thin, oblong leaves turn yellow in the fall. The underside may have sparse hairs.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Panicle; Spike
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The tiny, 1/4", white or pale pink flowers are arranged around a central stem in a pyramidal or cone-shaped cluster of up to 4" long. Flowers bloom from June-September.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Follicle
Fruit detail
The brown fruits each contain 5 pod-shaped follicles. As they dry out, they will split open and the seeds are disbursed. Each follicle contains one seed.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Smooth, erect, fine textured, and sparsely branched. Plants can have many stems. They range in color from dull brown to reddish.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and midwestern North America
Distribution
CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
Wildlife value
Larval host plant to the Spring Azure (Celastrina "ladon") butterfly.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Moths; Predatory Insects; Small Mammals; Songbirds