Rose

Mountain spirea is the native alpine shrub with dense, flat-topped clusters of pink to rose flowers in midsummer, one of the showiest wildflowers of the subalpine meadows from British Columbia to California. It grows one to three feet tall with a compact, rounded habit, the small leaves turning orange in fall. You find it in the wild on open slopes, meadow edges, and rocky sites at mid to high elevations.

In Western Washington lowland gardens, mountain spirea adapts well to full sun with well-drained soil, bringing a piece of the alpine landscape to sea level. The compact size and pink flowers make it useful in rock gardens, borders, and small-scale plantings. No significant disease or pest concerns are tracked. For a compact, pink-flowered native shrub with the character of the mountain meadow and the tolerance for lowland garden conditions, mountain spirea is a charming addition to the native palette.