Meet the Summersweet
Summersweet | Clethra alnifolia
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a medium-large deciduous, woody shrub.
My glossy, alternate leaves are a wide, pointed oval shape, with toothed edges.
I produce fragrant blooms made up of small flowers. They look like bristly 3”-6” long spikes.
After blooming, I produce a cluster of dry, brown seed capsules that mature in the fall.
My bark is gray, with a striped texture. Newer stems are burgundy or copper-colored.
How big do I grow?: 3’-10’ height and 3’-6’ spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun to part shade.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Moist to wet soils with plenty of organic material. I enjoy acidic soils, and can tolerate short periods of drought once I’ve established.
Hardiness: Zone 3-9
Original home: I am native to eastern North America, west to Texas.
Colors: My flowers are typically white or pink. I can have yellow fall color.
When I bloom: Summer.
Wildlife friends: My flower nectar is coveted by bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Birds and mammals enjoy my seeds.
Flora Fun Facts: I am a larval host for many different moth species (at least 11).
More Info: The Summersweet is a big performer in the landscape, producing sweet summer fragrance, and valuable nectar that pollinators flock to. You’ll smell it - and hear the vibration of bee activity - before you see it.
A member of the Clethraceae family.
Also goes by the common names of Sweet Pepperbush, Alderleaf Pepperbush (due to the similarity of the leaf to an Alder tree), or Coastal Pepperbush.
In its native habitat, this plant can be found in swamps, damp areas, and sandy woods. It does not perform well in hot, dry planting sites, but is salt tolerant.
Summersweet can produce suckers off the root system, eventually forming thickets. It can be pruned back to control shape and size, but this is best done in winter or spring.
This is a great plant selection for a wooded or naturalized area, pollinator garden, rain garden, or bordering a pond/stream.
