sweet pepperbush
Clethra alnifolia
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size3 to 8 feet tall4 to 6 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green, turning pale gold in fall. new growth bronzy.
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) is a shrub for borders, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, and foundation plantings. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Spikes of fragrant white flowers draw bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Salt spray does not bother it, so it suits coastal yards. Deer tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Red twig dogwood, Switchgrass, and Prairie Sun rudbeckia.
Native range
Eastern and southern North America.