Clethra alnifolia Vanilla Spice® (Summersweet)

Clethra alnifolia Vanilla Spice® is an especially showy cultivar of summersweet or sweet pepperbsuh, a coastal wetland shrub native to the eastern United States. As for most summersweet, the Vanilla Spice® cultivar from Proven Winners has one main draw: its flowers. Much like the 'Summer Sparkler' cultivar, Vanilla Spice® has huge flower spikes, up to twice the size of the straight species and other cultivars like 'Hummingbird.' This Clethra's fragrant flowers bloom through the summer months and are attractive to pollinators of all kinds, but especially butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Vanilla Spice® summersweet is slightly more compact than other cultivars, growing to only 3-6' tall with a spread of 3-5' wide. Since most Clethra alnifolia are multi-stemmed, it is important to choose a large enough planting location, as plants may sucker over time. While suckers can be pruned away as the plant matures, this cultivar displays beautifully when planted in mass, when mixed into perennial borders, or when used in rain gardens or wetland restoration projects. Naturally found in coastal wetland areas or floodplains, Clethra alnifolia grows best in wetter areas with acidic, sandy soils and full sun exposure, but is not at all picky, and will tolerate drier soils as well as perpetually wet clay soils, and even those with some salt content.

(Photos courtesy of Proven Winners)