how big are they.. and how big are you expecting them to be ..

my 15 year old plants are a 3 foot muffin ... they will not get much bigger than that ...

ken

They are less than a foot tall. They look no different than the day I planted them. They are supposed to get 3-4 ft tall. I was thinking about pruning them back to a few inches since I have never done that before.

that would not be how you prune shrubs ...

you remove.. up to 1/3 of the plant as close to the ground as you can ... normally you take the biggest third of branches ..

ken

I think you could be a little nicer with your answer. I am sorry that I am not an expert. That is the reason I get on this website. Most everyone's answers are very helpful and most every is polite. I have read your responses before and you are not polite. I won't be coming back to this site for advice anymore.

There was nothing un-nice or impolite about Ken's answer. Maybe you just read it wrong. I have NEVER seen Ken respond to a question in a rude way, and I have read probably hundreds of his responses. Not only does he try to be helpful, but many times is able to assist AND be humorous at the same time.

I second ken's advice...and to agree with brandon that ken is very helpful. He just has a dry sense of humor, he really is not being rude. He has a lot of gardening experience and is generous with his advice. He's just precise with his answers and to the point.

Anyway, this isn't a shrub to cut down to a few inches to prune it. That might kill it.

You may have planted them to deep, this is a commom problem.
You can cut this plant right down to the ground and it won't hurt it a bit. I cut mine down with the riding mower every year.

I believe starterdude is right on both counts. And ken couldn't be nicer, so I don't understand what the beef is. Maybe sunny sara just had a cloudy day?

It is my experience that spireas don't need a lot of extra fertilizer. Maybe you're even burning it's tender new roots?
Lay off of the hard stuff LOL.

I had goldflame spirea planted about 3 years ago. They were very thick and lush. Now, last year they looked very spindley and didn't grow much at all. What could be the problem? They are pruned by the landscapers that take care of the landscapes in our gated community.

Is a goldflame spirea a good candidate to put right next to my mail box post--or just too big eventually? Maybe one on each side of the post and keep them trimmed to surround the post and stay in a rounded growth? I have curbs on our road so I don't think any winter road salt would get on it but should that be a concern also? Thank you for your advice?