Shrubs & garden character · Western North Carolina field companion

Summersweet

Clethra alnifolia

Compact fragrant native for moist beds; allow for some suckering.

Sun Exposure: Full sun–part shade
Mature Height (ft): 3–4
Mature Width (ft): 4–5
Bloom Season: Mid–late summer

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Get to know this plant.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–part shade

Growth Habit

Compact suckering

Mature Height (ft)

3–4

Mature Width (ft)

4–5

More growing details

Bloom Season

Mid–late summer

Bloom Color

White

Evergreen / Deciduous

Deciduous

Native Status

NC native species; cultivar

WNC Notes

Compact fragrant native for moist beds; allow for some suckering.

Drought Tolerance

Low

Wet-Soil Tolerance

High

Deer Resistance

High

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Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

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**Summersweet · Botanical detail**☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadePhoto by David J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Resized and converted to WebP; full composition retained.

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