Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia L.
Also called summersweet, sweet pepperbush.
Native shrub with spicy-fragrant white flower spikes in midsummer when little else blooms. A top bee and butterfly plant for wet, acidic sites.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 1–2.4 m (3–8 ft) tall and 1–1.8 m (3–6 ft) wide; medium growth, about 6 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #3 install size.
Bloom
White flowers, Jul–Aug (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summersweet : Jul–Aug |
Design notes
- Leafs out late in spring.
- Suckers into small colonies; compact cultivars (e.g. 'Hummingbird', 'Sixteen Candles') stay under 1 m.
Regions
Native range: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain from Maine to Florida and Texas.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Summersweet
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.