SWEETSPIRE (Itea virginica)
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Spread: 4 to 6 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Suggested Use: Hedge or Natural Area
Flower: Showy and Fragrant
Tolerate: Wet Soils, Clay Soils, Heavy Shade
Attracts: Butterflies & Honey Bees
Use: Winter interest and pollinators
This little shrub has long arching branches that bare 3-6” long flowers all over the plant creating a beautiful display for any natural border or landscape edge. Can be planted as a specimen plant and is a highly sought out by native bees and honey bees. George Washington ordered several of them from the Quaker John Bartram in 1792. The fall color is a vibrant red.
Sweetspire only serves as a host to the Angle - Line Prominent Caterpillar, but serves as a vital food source to many pollinators.
