Clethra Vanilla Spice or Summersweet Vanilla Spice

by Doug
(In his garden)

The summersweet shrub has long been one of my favorite shrubs and I've planted them in every garden I've had. This new variety from Proven Winners called 'Vanilla Spice' was planted in June 2010 in my gardens and I'll be updating this note yearly as it grows into the flowering shrub I hope it becomes.

Plant Details

Name: Clethra alnifolia (Latin) Summersweet Clethra, Sweet Pepperbush

Variety: Vanilla Spice a marketing name, it is also found under the name Clethra alnifolia 'Caleb'

Sun: Sunshine to light shade



Hardiness: USDA 4-9

Soils: this plant prefers a moist acidic soil so peat moss and hoses become my best friends

Height: 4-8 feet depending on location

Width: 4-6 feet wide

Rate of growth: slow to medium

Flowering: fragrant, white, long-lasting in mid to late summer in zone 5 (earlier in warmer areas)

Difficulty: The summersweet shrub is easy to grow and flowers nicely if you keep it well watered. This is particularly true in droughty seasons - otherwise you'll see some leaf scorch (burning around the margins).

Reason to grow this shrub - it's easy to grow if you water, it flowers for a long time compared to other shrubs and it's fragrant.

US readers can buy the shrub here

Canadian readers can buy the shrub here although it might take a phone call to find it there.

Doug's Notes

Spring 2010 - planted in June. 5-inch pot, good condition from Garden Import in Canada

If you've grown this particular plant, I hope you'll add your comments to the review sheet below (and upload a few pics of your plant too)