John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society’s
Wildflower Spot – June 2007
SWEETSPIRE Itea virginica
SWEET PEPPERBUSH
Clethra alnifolia
Sweetspire is a small
shrub, to 6 feet tall, covered with 4-inch white flower-spears
in late spring. The fall color is spectacular and
long-lasting, the leaves a mix of yellow, orange, crimson and
maroon. Cultivars have larger and longer flower spikes,
and more compact growth habit.
Sweetspire grows in full
sun to part shade and is relatively free of pests.
It is found chiefly on the coastal plain in swamps and wet
woods, from southern New Jersey to Florida and west to east
Texas.
An extremely useful
landscape plant, Sweetspire will grow under eaves where there is
no air circulation and no drainage. But it is happier as a
small, mass planting put by a deck, on the edge of a lawn, or on
the fringe of a wooded area. By a creek, Sweetspire
provides invaluable erosion control and, with its feet wet, will
produce even better fall color.
When the blooms of
Sweetspire are fading, Sweet Pepperbush has begun to flower and
continues into summer. In addition to being one of the few
summer flowering shrubs, Sweet Pepperbush also has a long season
of lovely fall leaf color. While the long white flower
“spikes” of both plants are superficially similar, the flowers
of Sweet Pepperbush produce outstanding fragrance, like fine
French perfume. Both are small shrubs which like part
shade, acid and moist soil; Sweet Pepperbush tolerates difficult
shady spots and thrives in wet, even soggy conditions.
Both are favorites of butterflies and birds.
Both shrubs have
fine-toothed leaves. Those of Sweetspire are oval and
light green whereas the leaves of Sweet Pepperbush are darker
green, narrow at the base and wide in the middle.
Written by Helen Hamilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter
of the Virginia Native Plant Society
