© The Dabney Nursery
Plant: Ruby Spice - Clethra
Clethra · Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice'
Size: 2 gal
Light
Bloom
Mature size
More about this plant
A native deciduous shrub with fragrant rich rose pink flowers in dense narrow racemes 3.5 to 4 inches long through July and early August, one of the darkest pink selections and reliable in coastal sites. The dense, erect, multi stemmed plant reaches roughly 5 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, with glossy dark green leaves that turn gold and brown in fall and brown capsules that persist into winter. It grows in morning sun or dappled shade on moist, acid, organic soil, tolerates wet ground, salt and heavy shade, resists deer, and draws bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Part Shade
- Grows to 10 ft tall and 6 ft wide
- Blooms in summer
- Hardy in USDA zones 3-9
- Deciduous foliage
- Native plant
Plant description
A native deciduous shrub with fragrant rich rose pink flowers in dense narrow racemes 3.5 to 4 inches long through July and early August, one of the darkest pink selections and reliable in coastal sites. The dense, erect, multi stemmed plant reaches roughly 5 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, with glossy dark green leaves that turn gold and brown in fall and brown capsules that persist into winter. It grows in morning sun or dappled shade on moist, acid, organic soil, tolerates wet ground, salt and heavy shade, resists deer, and draws bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Flowers
- Fragrant flowers a rich rose color are carried in dense narrow cylindrical racemes 3.5 to 4 inches long; this is one of the darkest pink selections and holds its color even on coastal sites.
- Fruit
- Brown capsules ripen in fall and persist through winter, attracting birds.
- Light
- Morning Sun, Dappled/Filtered Light
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Maine south to Florida and west to Texas
