SWEETSPIRE 'HENRY'S GARNET'

In Fall



In Spring










'Henry's Garnet' Sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet') seems to get stuck as an afterthought during Spring landscape designing, so The Green Man mentions it now.

This small gem provides graceful, fragrant flowers after the effloresence of Spring, and it highly adaptable to shade, sun, wet, or dry soils. Management issues are low, and it's pest resistant.

In the autumn, the plant comes into its own by providing an unusual shade of bugundy in its foliage that complements other fall colors.

Common Name: Virginia sweetspire
Zone: 5 to 9
Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Grossulariaceae

Native Range: None
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Spread: 4 to 6 feet
Bloom Time: May - June Bloom Color: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low

General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Adaptable to shade. Prefers moist, humusy soils, but tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Can spread to form colonies by root suckering if left unchecked.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

This Virginia sweetspire cultivar is an erect, rounded, deciduous shrub which typically grows 3-4' tall. Features fragrant, tiny white flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes (3-6" long) which cover the shrub with bloom in early summer. Oval, dark green leaves (1-4" long) turn an attractive garnet red in autumn, sometimes persisting on the shrub until December. Flowers (racemes larger) and fall color of this cultivar are superior to that of the species.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses:

Versatile shrub for sunny or shady areas of the shrub border or woodland garden. Also a good specimen or foundation plant. Naturalizes well in wild locations. Good for wet locations such as low spots or on the edges of streams or ponds.

© Missouri Botanical Garden, 2001-2009