Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City, USA

Common name: Virginia Sweetspire, Virginia Sweetspire

Family: Cyrillaceae (Cyrilla family)

Synonym: Cyrilla racemiflora 'Henry Garnet', Itea virginica, Itea virginica Henry's Garnet

Distribution: North America

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Hardiness: 5a

Life form: Deciduous shrub/sub-shrub

Comments: 'Henry's Garnet' commonly called Virginia sweetspire, is an erect, rounded, broad-spreading, deciduous shrub with arching branches. It features fragrant, white flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes which cover the shrub in late spring to early summer. Oval, dark-green leaves turn varying shades of red, orange and gold in autumn. There's a long period of fall color, with leaves often persisting on the plants until early winter. It prefers average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. However, it is adaptable to a heavier shade and other soil types. It can spread to form colonies by root suckering if left unchecked. This native shrub is a good alternative to exotic shrubs like burning bush and Japanese barberry.