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Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association

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Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica), by EMG Jenn

Also known as Virginia-willow, Virginia Sweetspire is actually not a true willow, although the genus name, Itea, comes from the Greek for “willow”, referring to the similarity of the leaves and flowers to some varieties of willow. Sweetspire is in reality part of the Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family).

Its semi-evergreen quality in the southern parts of its range makes it a truly lovely plant with a long season, with fragrant four-inch arching white flower spikes and red/purple fall colors that last well into winter (the more sun, the more purple), for those of us further North. What is particularly nice is that it will grow in challenging terrain – areas with poor drainage, moderate sun, and uneven ground such as a ravine or ditch.

It would like to form a colony by root suckering, but it is not overly aggressive and can be contained. For this reason, a naturalized setting is a good choice, and a rain garden is particularly apt. It is actually useful for erosion control along stream banks or other wet areas. This shrub can reach 8 feet tall, but 3-6 feet is more common, with a width of 3-5 feet. Blooming in late spring, Sweetspire attracts butterflies and other pollinators, and songbirds eat the seeds that come later.

Preferring, clearly, moist soils, it does well in slightly acidic soil, but as mentioned, it will tolerate a variety of soil types and pHs. Flowering and fall color is best with a minimum of four hours of sun a day. Blooms occur on the previous season’s wood, so pruning should be done after flowering. The buds open from the bottom to the top, which makes the bloom period appear to last longer. During periods of drought, it will need to be watered frequently, and organic mulch will help to conserve moisture. Few disease or insect problems, although an alkaline soil can cause chlorosis.

This shrub can be propagated by seed or by hardwood cuttings in late summer/early fall. Seeds are very tiny and do best started in flats indoors or in a greenhouse, and the plants should be kept in a container for one year to enable them to thrive later. *Seeds do not need to be cold-stratified.

Interestingly, the species is rarely available commercially, but there are quite a few cultivars, of which “Henry’s Garnet” is the most widely available. Native to the Southeastern United States, Sweetspire is often suggested to be planted in mass – according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, a single plant “tend(s) to be scraggly”.

Picture by EMG Lesley

Join us each Tuesday to learn about #NativePlants you can add to your garden. See previous posts at #AddNativePlants.

For more information:

plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/itea-virginica/
www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ITVI
www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/virginia-sweetspire ... See MoreSee Less

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