Henry's Garnet sweetspire

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering and autumn colour are usually strongest with several hours of direct sun.

Water

Prefers consistently moist soil and tolerates periodic waterlogging. Established plants tolerate short dry spells, but prolonged drought can scorch leaves or cause early leaf drop.

Soil

Humus-rich, acidic to neutral soil; grows in clay, loam or sandy soil if moisture is adequate. Strongly alkaline soil can cause yellowing leaves.

Height

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m), eventually wider if suckers are left to grow

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; fragrant white flowers in slender, drooping spikes.

Foliage

Oval, finely toothed green leaves turn red, burgundy and purple in autumn, often remaining on the branches well into late autumn.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Heat tolerant
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.1 ft (0.64 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.6 ft (0.78 m)

4. After 3 years

   3 ft (0.92 m)

5. After 5 years

   4 ft (1.2 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry weather for the first two growing seasons.
• Keep the root zone moist during prolonged summer drought, especially in sunny positions.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; routine fertiliser is usually unnecessary.
• Remove unwanted suckers at their point of origin if you need to limit the clump.

Pruning. Prune just after flowering because the next crop of flowers develops on older wood. Remove damaged branches and, when needed, cut a few of the oldest stems to ground level rather than shearing the whole shrub.

Spring

Plant when the soil is workable, water thoroughly and mulch the root zone.

Spring

Top-dress established plants with compost and remove dead or winter-damaged wood.

Early summer

After flowering, thin crowded growth or reduce selected branches if necessary.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry spells and check young plants for wilting.

Autumn

Remove unwanted suckers, or lift rooted ones after leaf fall for propagation.

Late autumn

Replenish mulch where needed, leaving space around the stems.

• Plant in groups along a pond margin or in a rain garden where the soil stays moist.
• Use at a woodland edge with ferns and shade-tolerant perennials for contrasting leaf shapes.
• Create an informal low shrub border, allowing room for its arching branches and suckering habit.
• Place beside paths or seating areas where the flower fragrance and autumn colour can be enjoyed.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Bog garden, Autumn colour, Cottage garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Summersweet, Oakleaf hydrangea, Cinnamon fern, Royal fern, Turtlehead and Sedges.

Wildlife: The flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. Dense, suckering growth can provide cover for small birds and other wildlife.

• Yellow leaves with greener veins can indicate alkaline soil; check soil pH and, where soil is strongly alkaline, choose a more suitable planting site rather than repeatedly treating symptoms.
• Brown leaf edges or premature leaf drop during drought: water deeply and maintain an organic mulch.
• Few flowers after winter or early-spring pruning: avoid cutting off developing flower buds and prune after flowering instead.
• Suckers spreading beyond the intended space: remove them regularly at their origin or allow room for a natural colony.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, and no particular part is recognised as poisonous. It is not an edible plant; safety information for livestock is limited.

• Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

  Also has fragrant white flower spikes, but these are generally upright and appear later in summer; its leaves usually turn yellow rather than deep burgundy.

• Holly-leaved sweetspire (Itea ilicifolia)

  An evergreen shrub with glossy, spiny-edged leaves and much longer, slender, greenish-white hanging flower spikes.

Itea comes from the Greek word for willow, referring to the foliage, while virginica means 'of Virginia' and sweetspire describes the fragrant flower spikes.

Propagation. Lift and replant rooted suckers during dormancy, or take softwood cuttings in late spring to early summer. Vegetative propagation preserves the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably match 'Henry's Garnet'.

Accepted botanical name

Itea virginica

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Mississippi.

Measured

Soil pH 4 to 7.5. Average height 300 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.