Spiraea 'Anthony Waterer' Bare Root
Spiraea 'Anthony Waterer' is a classic cottage garden shrub that delivers months of vibrant colour from summer through to autumn. Unlike spring-flowering spiraeas, this compact deciduous shrub produces flat-topped clusters of deep crimson-pink flowers continuously throughout the summer, attracting butterflies and bees whilst providing a brilliant splash of colour. With attractive bronze-tinged spring foliage and a neat, rounded habit, this bare root specimen is perfect for gardeners seeking a reliable, low-maintenance shrub that works hard for its space.
Key Features
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Long flowering season – blooms continuously from June to September
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Vibrant colour – deep crimson-pink flower clusters create bold impact
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Compact size – perfect for small gardens and containers
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Colourful spring foliage – new leaves emerge bronze-red before turning green
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Butterfly magnet – flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators
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Easy to grow – tough, adaptable, and low-maintenance
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Award-winning – RHS Award of Garden Merit for outstanding performance
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Neat habit – naturally forms a rounded, tidy shape
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Hardy and reliable – performs consistently year after year
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Versatile – works in borders, as low hedging, or in containers
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Bare root format – economical and environmentally friendly, available November to March
Growing Conditions
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Soil type: Tolerates most soils including chalk and clay; prefers well-drained, moderately fertile soil
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Position: Full sun (essential for best flowering and foliage colour)
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Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H6)
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Aspect: Any, but full sun preferred
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Moisture: Moist but well-drained
Size & Growth
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Mature height: 0.8-1 metre
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Mature spread: 0.8-1 metre
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Growth rate: Moderate (15-20cm per year)
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Time to maturity: 2-3 years to full size
Planting Your Bare Root Spiraea 'Anthony Waterer'
When to plant: November through March, whilst the shrub is dormant and the ground isn't frozen
Planting tips:
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Soak roots in water for 2-4 hours before planting
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Dig a hole twice the width of the root system
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Plant at the same depth as the soil mark on the stem
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Space 60-80cm apart for low hedging or mass planting
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Backfill with native soil mixed with well-rotted compost
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Water thoroughly after planting
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Apply a mulch around the base to retain moisture
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No staking required – naturally compact and sturdy
Care & Maintenance
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Water during dry spells in the first growing season
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Feed with a general-purpose fertiliser in early spring for more vigorous flowering
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Pruning: Cut back hard in late winter or early spring (February-March) to 15-30cm from the ground
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Hard pruning encourages the best flowers and most colourful new foliage
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Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continued blooming (optional but beneficial)
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Generally pest and disease-free
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Very low maintenance once established
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Can be lightly trimmed after first flowering flush to promote second wave
Seasonal Interest
Spring (April-May): New foliage emerges in attractive shades of bronze-red and copper, gradually turning green with reddish tints
Summer (June-September): Continuous display of flat-topped clusters (corymbs) of deep crimson-pink flowers; occasional cream and pink variegated leaves add interest
Autumn: Late flowers may continue into early autumn; foliage sometimes develops bronze or reddish tints
Winter: Deciduous; bare twiggy stems with reddish-brown bark
Wildlife Benefits
Spiraea 'Anthony Waterer' is excellent for pollinators:
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Flowers provide abundant nectar for butterflies throughout summer
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Particularly attractive to small tortoiseshell, peacock, and red admiral butterflies
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Supports bees and other beneficial insects
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Long flowering period provides consistent food source
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Dense growth offers shelter for small creatures
Ideal For
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Small gardens and compact spaces
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Front-of-border planting
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Low informal hedging or edging
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Cottage gardens
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Mixed shrub borders
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Container planting on patios
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Butterfly gardens
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Low-maintenance gardens
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Foundation planting near houses
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Creating blocks of summer colour
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Filling gaps in borders
Design Ideas
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Hot border: Combine with orange crocosmias, red salvias, and yellow rudbeckias for fiery summer schemes
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Cottage garden: Mix with traditional perennials like delphiniums, phlox, and campanulas
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Low hedge: Plant in a row for a colourful, informal edging (no formal clipping needed)
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Container display: Perfect for large pots on patios and terraces
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Butterfly border: Group with other pollinator plants like lavender, buddleia, and verbena
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Front garden: Compact size ideal for foundation planting and street-facing borders
Companion Plants
Create stunning combinations with:
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Silver-leaved artemisia or stachys for contrast
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Purple salvia for complementary colour
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White Japanese anemones for fresh contrast
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Yellow coreopsis or rudbeckia for vibrant schemes
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Blue catmint (Nepeta) for harmonious combinations
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Ornamental grasses like Stipa for texture
Things to Consider
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Needs full sun for best flowering and foliage colour – will be disappointing in shade
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Requires annual hard pruning for best performance (flowers on current season's growth)
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Deciduous – provides no winter interest beyond bare stems
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Occasional shoots may revert to plain green – remove these promptly
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May occasionally produce cream and pink variegated leaves (attractive feature)
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Compact size means it can be overwhelmed by vigorous neighbours
Variegated Foliage
A charming feature of 'Anthony Waterer':
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Occasionally produces leaves splashed with cream and pink
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Adds extra interest to the foliage
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Variegation is sporadic and unpredictable
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Some gardeners love this quirky trait; others prefer to remove variegated shoots
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Does not affect flowering or plant health
Pruning Guide
When to prune: Late winter or early spring (February-March), before new growth begins
How to prune:
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Cut all stems back hard to 15-30cm from the ground
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This encourages vigorous new growth with the best flowers and foliage colour
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Don't be afraid to prune hard – spiraea responds brilliantly
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Can also be lightly trimmed after first flowering flush (July) to promote more blooms
If left unpruned: The plant will still flower but becomes leggy with fewer, smaller blooms and less colourful foliage
Container Growing
'Anthony Waterer' is excellent in containers:
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Choose a pot at least 40cm diameter
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Use good quality compost with added drainage material
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Water regularly during summer
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Feed monthly during flowering season
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Repot every 2-3 years
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Prune annually as normal
Why Choose 'Anthony Waterer'?
Named after a famous 19th-century nurseryman, this cultivar has stood the test of time:
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Long-established favourite – trusted by gardeners for over 100 years
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Summer-long colour – flowers for 3-4 months continuously
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Perfectly proportioned – ideal size for modern gardens
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Easy care – responds well to hard pruning, no fussy requirements
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Pollinator paradise – covered in butterflies all summer
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Versatile performer – borders, hedges, or containers
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Proven excellence – RHS Award of Garden Merit
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Beginner-friendly – virtually impossible to kill or misprune
Similar Varieties
If you like 'Anthony Waterer', you might also consider:
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Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' – golden foliage with pink flowers
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Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess' – slightly more compact with pale pink flowers
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Spiraea japonica 'Firelight' – orange-red new growth with pink flowers
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All share the same easy-care nature and summer flowering
Why Choose Bare Root?
Bare root shrubs are lifted from the field during dormancy and supplied without soil around the roots. This traditional method offers several advantages:
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More economical than container-grown plants
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Better root development and establishment
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Lower carbon footprint (no plastic pots or compost)
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Available during the optimal planting season
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Establishes quickly once planted
Awards & Recognition
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RHS Award of Garden Merit – recognised for outstanding performance and reliability in UK gardens
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Time-tested favourite recommended by generations of gardeners
Quick Reference
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Best feature: Long summer flowering
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Best position: Full sun
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Best time to see it: June-September
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Pruning time: Late winter/early spring (February-March)
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Skill level required: Beginner-friendly
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Maintenance level: Low
Enjoy months of vibrant summer colour with Spiraea 'Anthony Waterer' – a compact, easy-care shrub that delivers deep pink blooms, bronze spring foliage, and a magnet for butterflies, all from a perfectly-sized plant that thrives on simple annual pruning.
Bare Root is usually dispatched between early November and late March. Exact dates vary year to year depending on the weather. We cannot guarantee availability for a certain date at the beginning or end of the season.
Important Bare Root Care
As soon as you receive your bare root plants place the items upright in a bucket of clean water immediately leaving them for at least 2 hours. Only take plants out as you need them for planting.
Q: When is bare root season?
A: Our bare root season usually runs from November to March but it can depend on the weather conditions, we'd always recommend buying at the end of autumn rather than waiting for spring.
Q: Does the plant size include the roots?
A: No, all bare root plant sizes quoted exclude the roots.
Q: What size plants will I receive?
A: Stock size varies through the season, our 'Plant Size' are give as a guide and you will receive plants somewhere in that range. We are unable to specify exactly how tall the plants will be within that range.
Q: How old will the plants be?
A: Most of our 'Plant Sizes' include the age of the plant, this is shown as a sum e.g. 1+2 which in this case would indicate that the plants are 3 years old. The first number is how long the plant has spent in the seedbed and the second is the number of year it has spent lined out in the field. Where the sum starts with a 0+ this indicates that the plants were grown from a rooted cutting.
Q: Can I get a discount for bulk purchases?
A: We offer a discount banding on bare root plants making them cheaper the more you buy, see the table on each page for details of the price within each band.
Q: Do I need canes?
A: Bamboo canes are perfect for giving young saplings, hedging plants, climbers and other tall shrubs the support they need when they start to establish. Unless you are planting in a completely sheltered spot with very little chance of wind then we would always recommend using a cane for support.
Q: Do I need rabbit guards?
A: Spiral Rabbit Guards are the most popular, low cost tree protection for young saplings, seedlings, transplants and hedging plants from browsing animals such as voles, mice, rabbits and hares. Spiral Rabbit Guards have the ability to grow and expand with the growing tree, providing a sheltered environment for the tree. It's hard to say for certain if you will require the extra protection a rabbit guard provides, if your are aware of a particular pest problem in your planting location then we would recommend using them. Rabbit Guards are not suitable for 'evergreens' please see 'Shrub Shelters' for a suitable evergreen protection method.
Q: What is a shrub/tree shelter?
A: Shrub/Tree Shelters are similar to rabbit guards but are designed for use on evergreens that would sweat and die in rabbit guards. We supply shrub/tree shelters as a kit which includes the shelter, 1 Stake and 2 cable ties, one kit is required per plant.
Q: Do I need shrub/tree shelters?
A: If you are aware of any specific pest problems in your planting area then we would recommend using a shrub/tree shelter to give your young trees or hedging plants that extra protection.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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