Zelda

Spirea

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Gold Flame'

Summary: In spring, the young leaf of 'Zelda' is brown purple to brown red whereas it is light brown in 'Gold Flame'. The petals of 'Zelda' are wider than those of 'Gold Flame'. The upper side of the corolla for 'Zelda' is light blue pink whereas it is purple red on 'Gold Flame'.

Description:

PLANT: perennial shrub, bushy-rounded growth habit, strong degree of branching, dense to very dense foliage

STEM: light green, ranging from absent to weak to medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration on upper shoots, very sparse pubescence, edged in cross section

LEAF: opposite arrangement, simple, ovate shape, petioles present, acute apex, cuneate base, serrate margin, sparse pubescence on upper side, sparse to medium pubescence on lower side
UPPER SIDE OF LEAF, IN SPRINGTIME: brown purple to brown red (RHS 178B-C) on young leaf
UPPER SIDE OF LEAF IN SUMMER: dark to light green (RHS 144A-B)

FLOWERING: early, long period
INFLORESCENCE: corymb, dense
COROLLA: free arrangement of lobes, five lobes, rotate, absent or very weak recurvature of margin, light blue-pink (RHS 69B)
STAMEN: long

Origin & Breeding History: 'Zelda' arose from the open pollination of the female parent Spiraea fritschiana 'Wilma' with pollen from unnamed seedlings of Spiraea japonica made in the summer of 2003 in Grand Haven, Michigan, USA. The new variety was selected in the summer of 2005 based on flower colour and size, foliage colour and plant growth characteristics. Asexual reproduction of the variety was first conducted in Grand Haven, Michigan in the summer of 2005.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Zelda' were conducted in St. Thomas, Ontario in a polyhouse during the early spring 2010 and continued in an outdoor irrigated container trial. The trial included 10 plants of the candidate variety and reference variety. All plants were grown from rooted 4 inch liners planted into 2 gallon containers in May 2009. Trials were arranged with 1/2 meter spacing between plants and overwintered in a polyhouse. Most observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety on May 10, 2010 with the exception of early spring characteristics which were recorded on April 14, 2010. All colour determinations were made using the 2007 RHS Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Zelda' with reference variety 'Gold Flame'

Main colour of upper side of leaf (RHS)

Leaf width (cm)

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Spirea: 'Zelda' (left) with reference variety 'Gold Flame' (right)

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Spirea: 'Zelda' (left) with reference variety 'Gold Flame' (right)