16 Candles Clethra

Zone: 3-9
Height: 3' to 3 1/2'
Spread: to 3'
Bloom: White, fragrant
Bloom Time: Early-Mid Summer

effective 4 to 6 weeks

Clethra is a small native (Maine to Florida) shrub that is becoming more and more popular with landscapers due to the frilly white flower display and wonderful floral aromas that reign for a month or more in mid- Summer. Clethra also sports attractive dark green leaves, tawny brown to golden yellow fall foliage and winter appeal with its tiny remnant 1/8 inch diameter brown fruits arrayed in upright panicles. ‘Sixteen Candles’ summersweet is a newer cultivar of this popular native shrub. This cultivar is a compact selection reaching 3 to 5 feet tall. In summer, ‘Sixteen Candles’ is topped with aromatic, erect, butterfly-enticing white blooms for 4 to 6 weeks. In fall, the leaves turn an attractive yellow. A shorter cultivar selected for its sturdy branching system and large (up to 6 inches), upright, white flowering "candles".