
How to grow summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
When to plant summersweet
Plant this deciduous shrub while dormant, in fall or early spring. Extension guidance rates fall (early enough for roots to establish before the ground freezes) as the best time and spring, just before growth begins, as the next best.
Summersweet is timed by season rather than your frost dates, so the planting calendar does not generate ZIP-specific dates for it. Check the cited sources below to fine-tune for your area.
Growing conditions
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Spacing
- 48 to 72 in apart
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5 to 8
Common problems
- spider mites in dry conditions
- suckering spread
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (NC State Extension): Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center: Planting Shrubs Correctly (HGIC 1052)
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