The Two Towers

Meadowsweet

Steeplebush

The greens of summer!  Not much is in bloom, which is among features that make plants in the genus Spiraea special.

Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia), with its white summer blooms, and Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), featuring brilliant pinkish-purple blooms, are both native to the Northeast.  

Try them if you’re looking to add summer color to the garden, perhaps to build a roughly 4-foot hedge or to fill out areas near a foundation.

They’re also great for increasing biodiversity.

Larvae of the Columbia Silkmoth and other lepidoptera feed on Spiraea foliage.

Butterfly and moth caterpillars feed on their leaves, all sorts of pollinators drink the nectar and specialized bees grab the pollen for their larvae.

The flowers on both bushes appear in clusters and bloom from the top down.  Steeplebush’s are tight and on spikes up to eight inches long (steeples) while Meadowsweet’s are looser and on shorter stalks.

Both plants love full sun and grow naturally in bogs, wet meadows and along shorelines.  They also adapt well to drier soils. 

Meadowsweet in a natural setting. Photo: Gilles Ayotte

Meadowsweet–new this year to Tree Talk Natives–makes a nice accent plant, especially where the fragrance can be enjoyed.  

It also blends well with other plants, particularly those with colorful fall features – Groundsel Bush, Wild Plum, Red Chokeberry and Northern Bayberry all have intriguing fall fruits or seed heads. 

A field of Steeplebush. Photo: Doug McGrady

Steeplebush also is called Hardhack because of difficulties early farmers had using weed wackers to get rid of the plants.

It may be a bit showier than Meadowsweet with its brightly colored blooms. 

Try Steeplebush with late-blooming perennials including asters and Sneezeweed.  Common Rush and Wool Grass also are good choices in a moist meadow. 

Both Steeplebush and Meadowsweet bloom on new wood and should be pruned in late winter or early spring.  They also respond well to being completely cut down, or even mowed, once a year.

Fun fact: Meadowsweet also goes by Spiraea alba var. Latifolia. Yet a third, Spiraea alba, native slightly west of here, is either a variety of latifolia or, as some people believe, a similar but completely different plant.

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About the author

Jennifer Anderson owns Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and plant nursery along Massachusetts' South Shore. A former news reporter, she loves to write and talk about native plants. Jennifer also gives garden consultations and presentations on native plants. She can be reached at jennifer@treetalknatives.com.

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Sources

• Chafin, L.G. Spiraea latifolia, Broadleaf White Spirea Georgia Biodiversity. (June 24, 2019)

• Cullina, W. Native Trees, Shrubs & Vines.  New England Wild Flower Society. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. (2002) Pp. 237-238

• Dodds, J.S. Spiraea alba Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. (April, 2025)

• Shrubs of the Adirondacks: White Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba var. latifolia). Adirondacks Forever Wild.

• Shrubs of the Adirondacks: Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa).  Adirondacks Forever Wild.

• Spiraea alba. North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

• Spiraea tomentosa. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

• Spiraea tomentosa – rosy meadowsweet, steeplebush.  Go Botany, Native Plant Trust 

• Steeplebush.  Shrubs of the Adirondacks. Adirondacks Forever Wild.