Clethra alnifolia--Summersweet, Sweet Pepperbush
Clethra alnifolia--Summersweet, Sweet Pepperbush
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Summersweet is 3 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 8 feet wide at maturity. The shrub grows best in partial shade and a moist, slightly acid soil. The plant tolerates wetness but on poor sites is thin and straggly. Summersweet is hard to transplant and slow to recover from transplanting. The shallow root system is suckering and tends to form clumps. Summersweet bears fragrant, white flowers in early to midsummer. The erect, 4- to 6-inch long racemes of flowers are long lasting. The fall color is yellow to orange.
Several cultivars are available: 'paniculata'--leaves narrower, flowers larger; 'Pink Spire'--flowers pinkish; 'rosea'--flower buds pink, flowers pinkish but fading to white.
Visuals associated with this text.
| Visual title - Visual size | Visual title - Visual size |
|---|---|
| Clethra alnifolia - 70K | Clethra alnifolia rosea - 19K |
| Clethra alnifolia rosea - 61K |
