How to keep spirea especially goldmound etc. looking good?

Question:I trim them regularly, but they just look like a bunch of sticks and I have some which rarely leaf out fully? Any suggestions? I am about to quit using them altogether.

Answers:
Spirea can be frustrating if you want a neat mounding shrub, but they are made that way. I cut out the dead sticks in the fall and trim the hanging branches if they are too long and then I don't touch them for at least three years. When left alone after a trimming they will come out full and beautiful, but they won't look nice until the blossoms bloom. After the blossoms drop, they go back to looking like a pile of sticks.

Remember, trim once in the fall and then don't touch them again. Trimming too much will spoil the blooms.