Hummingbird Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird'

Foliage: Dark green
Fall Foliage: Golden-yellow
Fruit:  Brown
Habit/Form: Rounded
​Uses: Hedge, perennial borders

Zone Hardiness: 3 - 9
Plant Height:  2 - 4 ft
Plant Width: 3 - 5 ft
Light: Part shade/shade/some sun
​Growth Rate: Slow

​'Hummingbird' features bottlebrush spikes of extremely sweetly fragrant white flowers in mid to late summer. Opening from bottom to top, they are very attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, as a time of the year when there is not a wealth of nectars to choose from. The flowers give way to spikes of dark brown fruits, which persist into winter. It can even tolerate shade. It is a popular summersweet cultivar because it is more compact and floriferous that the species. It can be planted in moist, but well-drained soil. Also known as sweet pepperbush. A North American native plant. It is salt and drought tolerant and is rarely bothered by deer.