How do you plant a Clethra plant?
Select a growing site that has full sun to partial shade and ample room to grow. Clethra grows best in well-drained, acidic soil. If you plant more than one shrub, be sure to space each plant about 4 feet apart. Plant the shrubs by windows so when the plant blooms its fragrant flowers, you can open the windows to enjoy the fragrance.
When should I plant Clethra in Florida?
Plant in spring after the ground thaws or in early fall before it freezes. Native to swampy woodlands and marshes, clethra flourish in wet ground and will even tolerate standing water, making them a good choice for low-lying areas of the garden. They will thrive in coastal areas as well because of their resistance to salt spray and brackish water.
Should I let the soil dry out before planting Clethra?
It's best not to allow the soil to dry out completely. Give plants an occasional deep soaking during drought. If you are uncertain about soil drainage in the area you intend to plant your Clethra, it's well worth taking the time to test the drainage before planting. To test soil drainage, dig a hole 12" wide by 12" deep in the planting area.
Can you grow Clethra in South Carolina?
Summersweet clethra ( Clethra alnifolia ) inflorescence with white buds and fragrant white flowers. Summersweet clethra ( Clethra alnifolia) is a fantastic shrub with all-season garden interest and can be grown throughout South Carolina.
Do you cut back Clethra in the fall?
Prune in late winter or early spring before flower buds form. Cut out any damaged or dead branches at ground level. If you're not sure whether a branch is dead, try clipping off the tip.
Is Clethra fast growing?
Moderate growing and compact in habit, reaching up to 8 x 6 ( rarely over 6 x 5 ) feet. The very unusual for a Clethra flower spikes are borne in huge white clusters, up to 6 x 5 inches.
Is summersweet the same as Clethra?
Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) is one garden plant that truly lives up to its name, producing an abundance of sweetly scented flowers during the waning days of summer, when few other shrubs are in bloom.
How do you plant summersweet shrubs?
Clethra Alnifolia Planting Instructions Dig a hole about four times as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Make sure the shrub's roots are not compacted, spreading out some if needed. Place the shrub in the hole and fill with water, allowing it to absorb. Then backfill with soil and water again.
Does Clethra like sun or shade?
This native plant will grow in full sun to total shade, but will grow best in light, dappled shade, or with morning sun and afternoon shade. These shrubs will even bloom profusely in complete shade. Because of its tolerance for moist soils, it can be used for streambank erosion control.
Should you deadhead Clethra?
This will encourage clethra to produce new spring growth and more flowers in spring. Deadhead dead and fading clethra flowers. When spent flowers are left on the shrub, it will direct its energy to producing seed. If you deadhead or remove these flowers, that energy will be redirected to bloom production.
What goes well with Clethra?
Because of its honey gold autum foliage, Clethra also looks beautiful when planted near darker foliage shrubs such as purple-leafed Cotinus, and Physocarpus cultivars 'Diabolo', 'Coppertinia', and 'Summer Wine'.
Can Clethra take full sun?
It grows best in full sun to part shade and moist to wet soil. Use summersweet in rain gardens, shrub borders, narrow spaces and perennial gardens where its four-season beauty can be enjoyed. A bit more information: This versatile shrub, also known as Sweet Pepperbush, is generally trouble-free.
Why is my Clethra not blooming?
Clethra alnifolia likes lots of moisture--is native to wetlands--so if your summer is dry that could be slowing bloom down a bit. But the main thing is that they are in the creep stage of sleep, creep, leap for plant growth.
Is clethra a host plant?
This is an excellent plant for pollinators, serving as the host plant for at least 11 lepidoptera species as well as attracting a large number of native bees.
What kind of soil does summersweet like?
sandy soilIt prefers acidic, sandy soil that is moist but will tolerate clay soils, as long as they're amended with organic material, and full shade. Water regularly as needed so the soil does not dry out.
Will summersweet grow in shade?
Native to swampy woodlands, summersweet is easy to grow in average to wet soil in full sun or part shade. It tolerates consistently moist soil—sandy or clay—with ease. It will grow in full shade but tends to have an open and loose habit.
How fast does clethra Ruby Spice growth?
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate once established, which takes approximately 6 -8 weeks.
Do Hakeas grow fast?
Hakea salicifolia is a fast growing large shrub reaching between 4-5 metres high and 3-4 metres wide. It has a large tough leaf and flowers profusely in winter and spring attracting bees and many small birds.
How big does Ruby Spice clethra get?
3-6'It is a rounded, suckering, densely-branched, deciduous shrub that typically grows to 3-6' (less frequently to 8') tall and is noted for producing a mid to late summer bloom of sweetly fragrant white flowers which appear in narrow, upright panicles (racemes to 2-6" long).
Is clethra a host plant?
This is an excellent plant for pollinators, serving as the host plant for at least 11 lepidoptera species as well as attracting a large number of native bees.
Growing Conditions for the Summersweet Plant
The summersweet plant is a deciduous shrub with dark, shiny foliage during the summer and yellowish brown foliage during the fall.
How to Plant the Summersweet Plant
There are various ways you can plant summersweet around your home. We’re going to discuss how you can transplant a purchased shrub, propagate new plants from cuttings of a mature plant, and also how you may grow summersweet from seed.
Caring for the Summersweet Plant
The summersweet plant doesn’t require much care once planted and established. There are a few minor things you must do to ensure this plant’s success, but beyond this, it’s rather self-sufficient.
Garden Pests and Diseases Which Might Impact the Summersweet Plant
Our last topic to discuss when growing summersweet is how to keep it protected from natural threats around the garden.
Where do clethras grow?
Native to swampy woodlands and marshes, clethra flourish in wet ground and will even tolerate standing water, making them a good choice for low-lying areas of the garden. They will thrive in coastal areas as well because of their resistance to salt spray and brackish water.
What shrubs like moist soil?
Use in a mixed border with other spring- and summer-blooming shrubs that like moist soils, such as viburnum.
What color are the leaves on the sagebrush?
The showy bottlebrush-like flower clusters, some nearly a foot long, continue for weeks on end, attracting a steady parade of butterflies and bees with their seductive fragrance. Enhancing the prolific floral display are lustrous green leaves that turn brilliant golden-yellow in fall.
How does Summersweet spread?
Summersweet spreads slowly by suckering roots and will colonize over time. If you don’t want your shrubs to naturalize, simply clip away the suckers from the base of the plant to maintain a more formal appearance.
How to plant clethra in a hole?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
Set your Clethra in the planting hole so that the top edge of the rootball is at ground level. It may be necessary to place some of your backfill soil mixture in the bottom of the hole to achieve proper planting height.
What type of soil does clethra prefer?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
Clethra are easily grown in a wide range of soils types, including clay soils. They prefer a consistently moist to wet acidic soil. It's best not to allow the soil to dry out completely. Give plants an occasional deep soaking during drought.
How to remove clethra from container?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
To remove your Clethra from the container it was growing in, squeeze the sides of the container and then grasp the base of the plant with your fingers and try to gently lift and remove it from its container. If the root ball is stuck in the container either cut the container use snips to cut the container away.
How to keep weeds from growing in my yard?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
Apply a 1 to 2" layer of cured, shredded or chipped wood mulch or pine straw around the planting area to conserve moisture and to suppress weed growth. As the mulch decomposes it will add vital nutrients to the soil that your plant will appreciate. Avoid the use of freshly chipped or shredded wood for mulch until it has cured in a pile for at least 6 months, a year is better. Avoid placing or piling mulch directly against the base of your plant as this could cause the bark to rot.
How to backfill clethra?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
After setting your Clethra in the planting hole, use one hand to hold the plant straight while using your other hand to begin backfilling the soil mixture around the root ball, tamping as you go to remove air pockets. When you have filled the hole to the halfway point you can soak the soil. Then continue backfilling to the top edge of the root ball. To avoid suffocating your plant, avoid placing any soil on top of the root ball.
What is the pH of clethra?from wilsonbrosgardens.com
Clethra grow best in an acid to neutral soil ranging from around 5.5 to 7.5 on the pH scale. Most average garden soils fall between a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. Testing Soil pH . Soil pH is a measurement of the alkalinity or acidity of soil and is measured on a scale of 1-14, with 7 as the neutral mark.
When does pepper bush bloom?from gardeningknowhow.com
Summersweet plant ( Clethra alnifolia ), also known as pepper bush, is an ornamental shrub with spikes of spicy-smelling white flowers. Blooming often takes place in summer around July or August.
When does pepper bush bloom?
Summersweet plant ( Clethra alnifolia ), also known as pepper bush, is an ornamental shrub with spikes of spicy-smelling white flowers. Blooming often takes place in summer around July or August.
Is summersweet a shrub?
Summersweet is commonly used in the landscape as either specimen or group plantings in borders or near foundations. It’s also used as a naturalizing shrub. In addition, summersweet is great for attracting pollinators, like bees and hummingbirds, to the area.
How to get clethra to bloom in spring?from gardenguides.com
Remove old wood. The oldest, lowest branches on a clethra shrub should be cut back to ground level. This will encourage clethra to produce new spring growth and more flowers in spring.
How to grow summersweet?from homeguides.sfgate.com
Plant summersweet with plenty of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure, compost or another enriching soil amendment. Mix native soil with any necessary soil enhancers so the additions comprise no more than 20 percent of the overall volume of planting soil.
What is a summersweet plant?from homeguides.sfgate.com
Native all along the East Coast and found abundantly along forest margins and near creeks and ponds, summersweet, also known as pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), is named for its long white spikes of spice-scented flowers that appear in July and August. “Ruby Spice” is just one of several cultivars, featuring pink flowers that do not fade to white. It grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 8. Because each plant colonizes to form a thicket about 6 feet wide and tall, summersweet is best used as a border plant where it can spread slowly. The glossy, dark green leaves turn a woodsy yellow-orange in fall, and when in flower the plant is extremely attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Summersweet is tolerant of occasional drought and even light sea spray, but only when properly established.
Why do my pepperbush leaves drop in winter?from homeguides.sfgate.com
The leaves drop during the winter and expose the twiggy framework of the plant. Winter causes significant twig dieback, with the tips of older and woodier stems dying and becoming nonproductive.
Do you leave a stub on a clethra?from gardenguides.com
Do not leave any stub or it will attract pests and disease. The clethra, an ornamental deciduous shrub, is also known as summersweet. Clethra, like most shrubs, benefits from an annual trim but should be allowed to retain its shape. Remove old wood. The oldest, lowest branches on a clethra shrub should be cut back to ground level.
When to plant Clethra alnifolia?
Clethra alnifolia is easy to propagate from stem cuttings in early summer or from seed planted in fall or spring. Softwood stem cuttings are best taken in early summer for the greatest success in rooting. Take 3 to 4 inch stem cuttings in the morning from well-watered plants.
What type of soil does clethra grow in?
Clethra grows best in acid, moist, well-drained soils. For planting in heavy clay soils, it is best to add a soil amendment, such as composted, ground pine bark, to enhance soil drainage. Dig planting holes at least twice as large as the root ball or container, and amend the existing soil with a soil conditioner at no more than 20% by volume. Once established, plants will tolerate short periods of drought.
How tall does Summersweet Clethra grow?
Summersweet clethra is a native, deciduous upright shrub that typically grows between 4 and 8 feet tall and slowly spreads by sending up new shoots from rhizomes to form a small thicket. The species or taller selections can be grown as low hedges or as back of the garden border plants. Smaller cultivars combine well with perennials in the garden.
How long does it take for a pepperbush to bloom?
This native species, also called sweet pepperbush, flowers profusely for 4 to 6 weeks during July and August when few other plants are in bloom, and the flowers fill the garden with their spicy fragrance. Summersweet clethra is a native, deciduous upright shrub that typically grows between 4 and 8 feet tall and slowly spreads by sending up new ...
How tall does cinnamon clethra grow?
It has long racemes of ivory white flowers, and grows to 6 to 10 feet tall and wide.
Why is clethra deer resistant?
Because of its tolerance for moist soils, it can be used for streambank erosion control. These shrubs sucker, which means they will slowly spread as new trunks emerge from the roots to increase the size of the planting. Clethra are considered deer resistant.
When does Summersweet clethra bloom in South Carolina?
Flowers form on new growth. Therefore pruning can be done in winter. Summersweet clethra is late to leaf out in the spring, and the foliage is an attractive medium to dark green color.
