Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’
$54.99
Clethra Alnifolia Hummingbird is a compact rounded shrub with glossy leaves and fragrant white flower spikes in midsummer.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Clethra Alnifolia Hummingbird is a compact, slowly spreading deciduous summersweet selected for small gardens. Its dense rounded mound carries glossy dark green leaves and many upright, feathery spikes of creamy white, clove-scented flowers in midsummer.
The fragrant bloom attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators when relatively few shade-tolerant shrubs are flowering. Yellow autumn foliage extends the display, while suckering growth can form a low hedge, naturalized group, or rain-garden mass.
Grow in acidic, humus-rich soil that remains consistently moist but drains well. Full sun or partial shade is suitable, with the most dependable moisture in partial shade. Mulch with well-rotted leaf mould after pruning and remove unwanted suckers unless a naturalized colony is desired.
Additional information
| Height | 100 cm – 120 cm |
|---|---|
| Spread | 100 cm – 150 cm |
| Flowering months | July, August |
| Synonyms | Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird', Clethra alnifolia "Hummingbird |
| Family | Clethraceae |
| Propagation | Propagate by dividing suckers, by heeled semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or by layering in late autumn or early spring. |
| Pests | Generally pest-free, although spider mites may occur in dry conditions. |
| Diseases | Generally disease-free and resistant to Phytophthora root rot when properly sited. |
| Pruning | Prune in late winter, removing selected old stems while retaining the strongest suckers; remove old flowerheads in spring. |
| Hazardous | unknown |
| Variegated | no |
| Watering instructions | Keep acidic soil consistently moist; never allow it to dry out. |
| Sunlight instructions | Grow in partial shade or full sun with consistently moist soil. |
| Color flower summer | White, Cream |
| Aspect | East, South, West, North |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Habit | Suckering |
| Moisture | Wet or Damp Soil, Moist but Well Drained |
| Ph | Acid |
| Position | Full sun, Partial shade |
| Scent | Fragrant |
| Shape | Round, Mound-forming |
| Suggest planting location | Woodland Garden, Low maintenance planting, Hedges and screening plants, Cottage and informal gardens, Rain Garden |
| Type | Shrub |
| Use for | Hedge, Butterfly-Friendly, Naturalizing |
| Years to max height | 5 |
| Drought resistance | no |
| Soil | Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Local names | Hummingbird Summersweet, Hummingbird Sweet Pepperbush, Hummingbird White Alder |
| Blomidon Item No | MO23002472, CLEALH0002G, CLEALS0003G, CLEHUM0002G |
| Usps | Clove-scented white spikes flower freely on a compact summer shrub., Glossy green foliage turns yellow above a rounded suckering mound. |
| Common Name | Hummingbird Summersweet |