October 2010 Plant of the Month —
Virginia Sweetspire

‘Henry's Garnet’ is among the readily available cultivars of the native shrub Virginia sweetspire. Its deep red fall foliage makes the shrub a standout in the autumn landscape. Photo by C. Reese.
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Submitted by James Newburn, Assistant Director of the UT Gardens

Now that autumn has arrived, we are all anticipating the brilliant fall colors that the season provides. For the most part when we think of fall foliage what comes to mind are trees. We anticipate the beautiful maples, dogwoods, and ginkgos with their bright orange, red, and yellow leaves. But don’t forget about shrubs and the wonderful colors they can provide in the understory or around the foundation of your home. One of the showiest of these shrubs is a native shrub called Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica).

Sweetspire is a great shrub choice because it features both summer blossoms and fall color.  Beautiful fragrant creamy white flower clusters (4 inches to 6 inches long) often droop and cover the shrub with graceful blossoms in the summer and make the shrub very attractive to butterflies and bees. Yet, it is deer resistant. This shrub can be grown in partial shade to full sun and can tolerate a variety of soils including our clay soils. It does need adequate moisture when first planted (in fact, it will grow well in boggy areas), but once established it is very low maintenance. This multi-stemmed shrub suckers and spreads outward forming colonies. This habit makes it ideal for erosion control. So do not plant sweetspire in a confined space.  You will want to give it room to grow.

Virginia sweetspire’s beautiful blossoms are outshined by its fall foliage. The shrub turns the most beautiful red-orange to crimson color in the fall and retains its leaves well into November, making it ideal for the fall landscape. One cultivar readily available is ‘Henry’s Garnet’. Growing to about 6 feet tall, this cultivar has rich crimson fall foliage and typically holds its leaves longer than the straight species.

For a compact variety that’s more suitable to the smaller landscape choose ‘Little Henry’; this cultivar tops out at about 3 feet tall. This newer cultivar has much going for it. Its short growth habit makes ideal for mass planting, on a bank for example, or by itself as a specimen in the mixed border. It is even suitable for container gardening, adding a dramatic focal point in the center or back of the container. Its flower spikes are more upright and stay well above the foliage and its foliage turns spectacular oranges and reds in autumn, again retaining its leaves well into late fall.

Virginia sweetspire is a wonderful low-maintenance, native shrub that can tolerate a wide range of conditions. Add to that its fragrant, showy blooms and its stunning fall color and you have a great plant for any landscape.

James Newburn is the Assistant Director of the UT Gardens. The University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville and Jackson are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. Their mission is to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through garden displays, collections, educational programs and research trials. The gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. Online at http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/

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Contacts:

James Newburn, Assistant Director of the UT Gardens, 865-974-7324

Dr. Susan Hamilton, Director of the UT Gardens, 865-974-7324

Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications Services, 615-835-4570, pmcdaniels@tennessee.edu