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Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea Spiraea japonica

Flower Season
  • Early Spring
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
Mature Size
2' 2'6" 61cm 76cm
Height: 18" - 2'
Spread: 18" - 2'6"
Height: 46cm - 61cm
Spread: 46cm - 76cm
Top Seller
  • Details

    18 - 24 Inches
    18 - 30 Inches
    18 - 30 Inches
    46cm - 61cm
    46cm - 76cm
    46cm - 76cm

    Features

    Your search for truly colorful landscape plants ends here!

    Meet the newest and most colorful Proven Winners spirea, Double Play® Candy Corn®. The show starts in early spring when the new growth emerges bright candy apple red. As it matures, it turns pineapple yellow, and the new growth continues to emerge bright orange all season. Top it off with dark purple flowers in late spring/early summer, and you've got a display you really have to see to believe. Be sure to click the image tab below to see just how showy this low-maintenance spiraea is!

    Best Seller
    Foliage Interest
    Deadheading Not Necessary
    Resists: 
    Deer

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Shrub
    Shrub Type: 
    Deciduous
    Height Category: 
    Short
    Garden Height: 
    18 - 24 Inches 46cm - 61cm
    Spacing: 
    18 - 30 Inches 46cm - 76cm
    Spread: 
    18 - 30 Inches 46cm - 76cm
    Flower Colors: 
    Purple
    Foliage Colors: 
    Orange
    Foliage Colors: 
    Red
    Foliage Colors: 
    Yellow
    Foliage Shade: 
    Pineapple yellow
    Habit: 
    Mounded
    Container Role: 
    Filler

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Part Sun to Sun
    Light Requirement: 
    Sun

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Easy
    Blooms On: 
    New Wood
    Bloom Time: 
    Early Summer
    Bloom Time: 
    Late Spring
    Hardiness Zones: 
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Border Plant
    Uses: 
    Edging Plant
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Uses: 
    Mass Planting
    Uses: 
    Specimen or Focal Point
    Maintenance Notes: 

    Spirea is a popular plant because it is blissfully low maintenance, and Double Play Candy Corn is no exception. It naturally takes on a nice, rounded habit without pruning. If you wish, you can give it a trim after the flowers fade, which will encourage even more colorful new growth.

    Double Play® spiraea are typically ignored by deer and even rabbits, and are quite drought tolerant after a year or two in the ground.

    Fun Facts: 

    Though you wouldn't guess it by looking at it, spiraea is closely related to roses and raspberries.

    Double Play® Candy Corn® Spiraea japonica 'NCSX1' USPP 28,313, Can 6,176
  • 24 Reviews

    5
    16
    4
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    1
    1
    4
    Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.
    • I purchased 4 of these candy corn spireas in the spring. They have performed poorly even with soil being amended, fertilizer, water and good plant location. I wouldn’t recommend. Very sad that they just didn’t work out for me!

      Lauri McNair
      , Texas
      , United States
      , 8 weeks ago
    • I have had a candy corn spireah for 3 years now and it never disappoints . This is such a beautiful small compact shrub. So easy to care for. I'm in NY zone 6a.

      Connie
      , New York
      , United States
      , 22 weeks ago
    • This plant is doing great! It is its second year in the Dallas Tx area. It gets sun until about 2 PM.

      Sherri Barton
      , Texas
      , United States
      , 30 weeks ago
    • I ordered this plant online a couple of years ago. I didn’t realize that being in zone 9b was beyond the recommended area for this plant. It has done extremely well after I moved it to an area that gets afternoon shade. LOVE the color of the foliage and the flowers. My question is about the scrubby tiny branches that develop at the base of the plant. I won’t prune now in December but is it recommended to prune out the scrubby little branches primarily at the base of the plant after it flowers in the spring? Is it better to just leave main branches? I wish Proven Winners would write more detailed instructions for caring for (fertilizing and pruning) our plants after we’ve purchased them.

      Connie G
      , California
      , United States
      , 48 weeks ago
    • I was so excited to add this to my garden but I am really struggling with this plant. As a matter of fact, it’s the second one I’ve planted this season, as the first one died. I can’t figure out what’s going on either, because I planted a regular double play right beside it and it’s doing great. I have cut it back in hopes that it bounces back but I’m not very confident.

      Herminia
      , British Columbia
      , Canada
      , 1 year ago
    • Love love these shrubs! “Everything and the kitchen sink!” I bought 45 of these plants. Love the fact it’s all that and a bang of color. From the growth of being yellow, new growth being burgundy red and it flowers! OMG! And it’s is a “dwarf” size to accommodate most landscapes. People are literally driving by my property amazed at the POP of color because of these plants! Highly recommend. Also, some comments were about the color…if you are planting in a shade, yes it will be lime green, but if planted in sun (as recommended) they are beautiful in gold/yellow and red colors.

      TmkNH
      , New Hampshire
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • We have many Candy Corn spireas planted in our yard. It’s the best. It’s a great size. The color is spectacular! It’s a winner all the way around. Love everything Proven Winners!!

      Julie M. Borkenhagen
      , Wisconsin
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • Candy Corn is a real show stopper! Foliage is fabulous nearly all year long and flowers are just icing on the cake! People walking my neighborhood stop and stare! Four season interest great smallish shrub!

      Terry Meier
      , Oklahoma
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • Loved these shrubs planted 6 of these in New landscape. They were beautiful 1st year. They did come back up and were gorgeous lime green in early spring. By September leaves were no longer bright colors They were just green. Resembled regular spiria And did not fill out. Disappointed

      marie elstun
      , Kentucky
      , United States
      , 2 years ago
    • I started growing this plant in a container on my building steps in 2020. I live in a city and have no access to a regular garden, so I started a "container garden," on the steps of my two-family building. I have been doing this for many years and every year I take a chance and buy a few "experiments." I always have to be aware of how large the plant will get because we have to walk up and down those same stairs! This is my favorite of all my plants (uh oh, don't tell the other 20!). It gives me utter delight just to look at it. It looks exactly like the photos. It grows easily without aggravation. All my stairway plants have to grow in burning hot direct SW sun, because that's the exposure I have. Spiraea, at least this variety, has done spectacularly.

      mARIA bRANT
      , New York
      , United States
      , 2 years ago
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