Sweet Pepperbush- Clethra alnifolia
Description
General: A rounded, suckering and dense shrub growing 3 to 6’
Leaves: Glossy, dark green and serrate growing to 4” and turning shades of yellow in the fall.
Flowers: Long lasting, narrow, upright and fragrant white panicles appearing in late summer.
Fruit: Dark brown seed capsules from late fall through winter
Attributes: Clethra is a small flowering shrub great for wet woodland areas, for use as a foundation plant or in shrub borders. It’s quick to colonize and comes into flower when few other shrubs are blooming.
Culture
Hardiness: Zones 3 to 9.
Growing Conditions: Prefers medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade.
Maintenance: Remove root suckers unless colonization is desired.
Our Experience
Experience at Great Hill
We’ve used clethra both in our English cottage garden as well as in a woodland area on Great Hill. Flowers are long lasting and yellow fall color gives the shrub multi-seasonal interest.