Ruby Spice Summersweet

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

4-6 Feet

Mature Spread

4-6 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Summersweet is a deciduous shrub that is very adaptable and provides a burst of color later in the season. The deep pink flowers grow in clusters and retain their saturated hue for a dependable pop of color throughout the growing season. Clethra alnifolia blooms during July and August, and the plant also features glossy green oval-shaped foliage that comes to a point and has slightly serrated edges.

This is an upright, mounded plant with woody stems, making it a wonderful hedge or specimen. As a North American native, Summersweet is easy to maintain. The fragrant flowers will draw pollinators, like bees and butterflies, to your landscape, and once the flowers fade, they are replaced with small fruit that birds will feed on. This beauty is deer-resistant, so the greenery and foliage will stay in place even in areas with increased animal populations. Ruby Spice Summersweet is a perennial in USDA zones 4 through 9.

Ruby Spice Summersweet Care

Summersweet can grow in full sun or part shade, and this stunner will continue to push out plenty of beautiful blooms even when grown in lower light. This plant can handle just about any pH level, but it will grow best in acidic soil. The soil should also be moist or well-drained. Keep the soil consistently damp (not saturated), and water before it dries out.

Fertilize using a slow-release plant food during the early spring. You can deadhead the plant to give it a clean look or leave the flowers, which will attract birds.

Ruby Spice Summersweet Spacing

This is an upright, mounded shrub that will grow 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. Ruby Spice Summersweet plants can be spaced as close as 2 to 3 feet to create a hedge.