Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica), Hardy, deciduous, North American shrub Description: Dense, arching, 6-inch spikes of fragrant, creamy white flowers in summer; beautiful mahogany to bright red-orange and purple fall color Habit: Grows 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide; spreading Culture: Prefers full sun to partial shade and fertile, moist but well-drained garden loam Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 5 Origin: North America Attributes: Fall color, rain garden Jefferson documented This handsome North American species is native from New Jersey south to Florida and Louisiana. It was introduced into cultivation in 1744 and was listed in Philadelphia nurseryman John Bartram's catalogue of 1783. Three years later, Thomas Jefferson, who was living in Paris at the time, requested Itea from both John Bartram, Jr. and Richard Cary of Virginia. Jefferson also included Itea virginica in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia. Its outstanding fall color is its greatest attribute, and a cultivar, 'Henry's Garnet', received the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's award of merit.