Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
A name like summersweet gets right to the point – this fantastic native shrub blooms in summer and fills the air with a light but intoxicatingly sweet fragrance that is beyond compare. Tolerant of a variety of conditions, we are firm believers that everyone should have summersweet in their garden, preferably near a patio, porch, or kitchen window so you can revel in the glorious scent. Insects are just as infatuated with the sweet blooms. One can spend hours watching the menagerie of bees and butterflies that come to sip on its nectar.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; medium to wet soil
Size: 4′ – 6′ tall, 4′ – 5′ spread
Zone: 4 – 8
Wildlife Value: Flowers attract bumblebees, halictid bees, swallowtail butterflies, pollinating wasps, and many other pollinators
