any chance at some pix???

i find it had to believe there is a spirea that cant take full sun with a plethora of moisture available... unless there is a drainage issue ...

how did you plant them ... bare root.. etc ...

have you ever cut them back hard ????

ken

They were container grown, about 12-14" tall and wide when planted in early fall of 2019. The bed is approximately 8' across, in between a sidewalk and the house. I plant high, because of my somewhat clayish soil and the fact this bed is flat with no slope. Sure, during a period of heavy rain the bed stays wet...but not standing water wet. Maybe I'm wrong, but with a drainage issue I would expect to see some droopy leaves and stems along with some leave drop.

I have not cut this back hard yet. I do other spireas every 3-4 years, I was giving these a little time.

I finally got around to taking some pics. From my observations this summer, it's when the leaves transition to the washed out yellow that they start burning from the outside edges inward until the leaf falls off. If anyone is unfamiliar with the "Candy Corn" cultivar, the new growth starts out red, then transitions briefly to an orange color, then a lime green, then yellow, then a washed out yellow...sometimes almost white. Then it burns off, and a new leaf sprouts back in it's place.

Moisture is not an issue, and this time of year they get sun until about 5:00 then bright shade the rest of the day. I'm not really looking for an answer, cause I don't think there is one. I think this is a fairly recent introduction (within the past 6 or 7 years maybe?)...so my personal review is that it's somewhat disappointing. I have various spireas all around the property, most in much drier and hotter locations, and they perform flawlessly year after year with little maintenance. After 3 years of these growing, and burning every year in temps as low as 80, I don't think they are near as tough as other cultivars...I'm surprised at the tenderness of the foliage.

Consider moving them to a spot with eastern exposure so they don’t get sun in the hottest part of the day. IME leaves with less chlorophyll like these are more prone to sun burn, so it may be less the plant per se than its siting. Not every spirea is going to do equally well in all sitings. Another factor is the setting between a building and the sidewalk. Masonry that spends the day in sun can hold heat for a long time, and buildings tend to either reflect additional light or absorb heat during the day to keep the area warmer at night, depending on material and color.

My final consideration is that these are only in their third season of growth, so still getting their roots established into your native soil, but I think that this factor is likely the least important for these particular plants.

Dear Joe, I had the same experience in my Western North Carolina garden. The bright red emerging foliage of Candy Corn spirea is lovely, but when planted in full sun it did not do well. The color was washed out, and growth was stunted. Those planted in half day sun have done much better, with nice golden foliage and better growth. And Candy Corn is a more compact size compared to others I've grown. I've also noticed that Candy Corn is more sensitive to cold temperatures--earlier leaf drop compared to other spirea.

I have several other spirea varieties (Goldmound, Little Spark, Lil' Sizzle) on my property that are overall far more robust plants, tolerate full sun beautifully, and drought tolerant. I wouldn't buy more Candy Corn spirea, but I'll keep the ones I have in part sun.