Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles' (Summersweet)

Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles', is a coastal wetland shrub native to the eastern United States commonly referred to as summersweet or sweet pepperbush. As for most summersweet, the real draw for 'Sixteen Candles' is its attractive, fragrant flowers, and this cultivar does not disappoint, with a profusion of numerous, upright, fragrant, white flower spikes typically 4-6" long. Flowers bloom through the summer months and are attractive to pollinators of all kinds, but especially butterflies and even hummingbirds. 

'Sixteen Candles' summersweet is a semi-dwarf Clethra variety, and grows to about 4-5' tall with a narrow behavior of only 2-3' wide. Since most Clethra alnifolia are multi-stemmed, it is important to choose a large enough planting location, but 'Sixteen Candles' works in a variety of more narrow garden spaces. This cultivar displays beautifully when planted in mass, when mixed into perennial borders, or when used in rain gardens or wetland restoration projects. As sweet pepperbush is naturally found in coastal wetland areas or floodplains, Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles' grows best in wetter areas with acidic, sandy soils and full sun exposure, but is not at all picky, and will tolerate shade, drier soils, and even perpetually wet clay soils. Its coastal range also makes summersweet no stranger to salt, and salt tolerance adds further versatility to this excellent shrub.