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Mutant

MacWilliamMacWilliam Posts: 27
in Plants

Hello there, keen gardeners.

In my garden grow a very strange specimen. I do not know the name but it is quite a common bush.

It has been there for years and I always thought that maybe I planted two of them all those years ago. This spring I did a bit of trimming and I can only find the one plant. Yet, half is white, half is pinkish - red. On closer inspection, some flowers are half/half. That is a bit strange. 

If anybody knows why this happens, even the name of the bush for starters would be welcomed

 

image

 

Northern Scotland

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    Spiraea shirobana springs to mind

    Devon.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    just googled it. Methinks I'm right. image

    Devon.
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307

    And the reason for the dual colour is a genetic mistake in part of the bush. This is how new varieties of things have arisen in the past. It is called a 'sport'. It happens quite often in Chrysanthemums where say a red flowering plant will throw a yellow variant.

    A lot of variegated shrubs have arisen this way.

  • MacWilliamMacWilliam Posts: 27

    Thanks people. Spiraea shirobana sport I have then.image

    Northern Scotland
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,065

    It seems this shrub naturally produces both pink and white flowers - http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/spiraea-japonica-shirobana/2602.html 

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • MacWilliamMacWilliam Posts: 27

    Oh no. I thought we had the sporty type, and it now turns out to be the standard type. dam.....

    Northern Scotland
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