By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener
I have many different species of plants in my landscape. However, I do not own a “Clethra alnifolia” or “sweet pepper bush” or “summersweet”. I bet if I were to ask brother Rufus if he planted one in his historic yard, he would say yes. Clethra is a native plant to Eastern North America including North Carolina of course. My expert friends on the Weekend Gardener tell us that Clethra is a choice shrub for the Tar Heel state’s growing conditions.
It is said that Clethra prefers well-drained, acid soil. You will however, find Clethra growing in the wild in wet areas, so it seems to be fairly adaptable. I’m told watering it regularly and deeply will help.. It will grow in sun or shade. In North Carolina, morning sun and afternoon shade might work better in most regions of the state. It normally grows 5 to 6 feet tall and equally as wide. It doesn’t tolerate a hot dry location. It seems to respond well, however, to cold temperatures.
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One of the great things about Clethra is that it has sweet-smelling white or pink bottle brush-like blooms that attract all kinds of pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. The blooms last for more than six weeks. We’ve talked a lot on the “Weekend Gardener” about having year-round blooms in the landscape. The Sweet Pepper Bush blooms in the shade in mid to late summer. There are also tiny berries that form after the it blooms. Sweet pepper bush deals well with pruning. You should handle this chore in late winter or spring. It sends out roots, so it can provide some moderate erosion control in a shadier area of your landscape. Clethra has striking gold foliage in the fall. The bark is peeling and rather interesting.
The most common varieties you are likely to find in North Carolina are “Ruby Spice” which has pink flowers, “Sixteen Candles with its white flowers, “ Pink Spires” “Vanilla Spice”, and a more compact specimen named “Hummingbird”.
Plant your summersweet bottlebrush shrub by using a sharp shovel and digging a hole that is at least twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Place your shrub in the hole, gently spreading out the roots, and then backfill to ground level and water Well. To get your plant off to a good start, work some organic matter into the soil and cover the root zone with a layer of mulch to help keep the soil cool and moist.
The Clethra has few insect pests to concern yourself with. Spider mites are about it and drought conditions are the only condition that will bring them on. Speaking of pests, Clethra is said to be deer resistant. Good luck with that.
I have seen Clethra used in mass plantings and as hedges. It is also good to mass plant around areas like a deck or patio where you might enjoy the sweet fragrance.
So, don’t be shy about planting a shrub you may never have heard of. It could give you years of beauty and sweet smells for your landscape.