Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea

Color for weeks is what you'll get with the ever colorful Double Play Candy Corn Spirea. One of the most colorful spireas on the market today, Candy Corn starts its color show very early in the season, early spring. Pops of red show the tell-all signs of new growth, you definitely won't miss the fire engine red foliage. As the seasons continue, the foliage follows the changing seasons by transforming into a bright, sunny yellow to welcome the summer. But wait, the color wheel isn't done spinning! By the time the foliage is finished maturing, the color would have changed again to a vibrant orange where it remains for the rest of the growing season. To add a finishing touch, Candy Corn throws in purple blooms that appears from late spring to early summer. What a wonderful treat!

With the goal of creating a non-invasive and no-seed spirea, professor Thomas Ranney from NC University got right to work. Utilizing a rare Korean species of spirea, Spirea fritschiana, and a popular Japanese species, Spiraea japonica, Ranney was able to create Candy Corn Spirea. This variety held the non-invasive qualities and bright colors that were desired. Candy Corn Spirea was patented in 2017 under the name 'NCSX1' and is marketed by Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. in Michigan under their Double Play line of spirea shrubs.

Candy Corn is a light for dark spaces, but will not overstep it's welcome. This spirea variety is grown for it's infertile habit and the vibrant foliage that this plant offers. New leaves sprout orange-red instead of the common green of other plants. As the seasons change and the plant matures, Candy Corn's foliage will change to bright yellow and then a bright green. In fall, you'll be able to enjoy purple, red, yellow, and orange leaves that rival that of colorful tree leaves. Candy Corn also offers summer flowers in purple-pink that compliment the bright foliage and add a nice touch to the foliage-centered shrub.