Wow; I've never seen spirea trained to a tree form. It looks deliberate, doesn't it, as though someone was doing bonsai manicuring to them?

Magic Carpet is very bushy normally... it can get over 3' tall if you don't prune, so I don't know that I'd call them dwarf, exactly. But no matter what their height is, they're always very "shrubby." Mine are shaped like this:

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Deeje:

That's what I wanted! Lovely! I finally broke down and emailed Forest Farm. They told me I should cut the plant all the way down to only two inches from the ground and that it 'should' grow back bushier. If I did that this would of course be a knobby stick. What a joke! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this plant has issues. FYI I have not trimmed this plant in anyway. This weirdness is how it arrived. At first I thought they had made a boo-boo when packing.

Kate

Just let it grow and gain some momentum this year. Don't cut it now. Early next spring, before it starts to leaf out, cut it way back and it will put out new canes. These spiraea cultivars can take a lot of abuse.

You got what you ordered....but not pruned into the shape you expected. I can't imagine sending back a plant nor complaining because it was not pruned to your expectation.
Do what Ellen said...it will be what you want next summer.
Those shrubby spirea are best cut to the gropund every spring...or after blooming.
Linda C

Ellen:

I'll chew on that a little bit. If you think cutting it back now would be bad perhaps I won't.

Linda:

I had no intention of sending this back. I'm simply saying thaht what arrived is not what was depicted in the company catalog. To me that is false advertising. I have had some other issues with this company also and their suggestion that I should hack my plant to the ground now to get what I wanted in the first place just does not work for me. According to the man at the nursery they grow their plants very close together which makes the plants somemtimes grow spindly. Sounds to me like that is what's convenient for them, not the customer.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kate

The foliage helps the plant grow roots by photosynthesizing and giving them food. While there is stored food in the roots, you will get much more growth, top and roots, if you don't cut it back. The payoff will come next spring. If you cut it back now you'll get less growth then, and it's not going to fill in very much now,either. At least you've got something there now. Often when you buy plants, especially shrubs, from mailorder you have to put up with a year of awkward looks.

Ellen:

Thank you very much. So the man at the nursery said cut it down (I will do it next year as you suggest) to two inches above the ground. Would you do that or should it be higher? That seems pretty radical but with them being tough as you note maybe they can handle it.

Kate

I am not sure about the timing of the pruning of your spirea, but I just wanted to say that I ordered from Forest Farm for the first time this spring, and my plants were lanky too. Mine were heucheras, but fortunately when the new growth came in, it was much more compact. Maybe in the milder climate of Oregon, plants spread out like that, but here where I am, plants tend to grow compact in order to survive the winds and intense sun. I have a feeling yours will look much better next year when the new growth comes in.

I would cut the long branches off about 5 or 6 inches from where they join the "trunk"....and I would cut it when it's dormant....either very late November....or late Februrary...
I don't know when things begin to bud where you are....but you need to prune it before it breaks dormancy.
That should force lots of new growth....which you can then prune the way you want it.
Linda C

And when you do prune it, stick those cuttings in soil and you'll have several new plants. Spirea is one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. Good luck. josh

It's a bit late to consider now, but most of the west coast is very heavily populated with an assortment of wonderful nurseries and garden centers and unless you are located in a particularly remote area or looking for something rare or unique, there really isn't much need to use mail order. 'Magic Carpet' spiraea is a hugely popular plant and is carried everywhere in spring when the colorful new growth is showing - they were even selling it at my local grocery store!!

And I will second the comments about pruning back. It can be done at any time and to quite a severe degree. Since I really dislike the flowers on this plant (much prefer the foliage effect), I shear it back anytime it sets buds, several times a season. I also cut it back hard in late winter to keep size in check. Spiraeas are extremely forgiving - large unruly ones can be cut back nearly to the ground without concern and respond with new growth promptly.

Gardengal:

I understand what you are saying about 'Magic Carpet' being readily available. IF you live in a fairly populated area. Naturally I did look around my area before purchasing anything via mail order. That's just common sense. Why else would I pay shipping on something I might be able to purchase at the grocery store which is definitely not an option for us. In the area we live in we have one nursery and is a mountain town. No box stores or big selections to choose from. That's why we enjoy living here in fact but there are sacrificies like very limited shopping.

Thanks.

Kate

Kate, same here. We moved to a very small town last year, and it took a little while to accept the lack of shopping options, but I wouldn't trade where I'm at now for anything! There are lots of safe options for mail order. I've had wonderful experiences with High Country Gardens, Big Dipper, Bluestone, and even Park's. You can always check the company out on Dave's Watchdog site before ordering from them, but I've had success with some companies that have less than a perfect rating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Garden Watchdog

HighAlt:

Thanks for the information. I will definitely do so.

Kate

Getting back to the question of where to make your cut: I can't say for sure, since I've never had a spiraea that had a single stem at the base like that. I would think it would put out some growth from the nodes--just be sure to leave a few-- and it would also put out new canes. But get some more opinions to be sure.