There’s no room in my backyard for prima donnas. Everything has to perform well without fussing or particular fertilizer, deal with herds of deer and thick clay dirt, and look great in the procedure. ‘Little Henry’ sweetspire is a unassuming deciduous shrub that quickly earned a place as one of my favorites.
U. of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Botanical name: Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’
Common title: ‘Little Henry’ sweetspire
USDA zones: 5 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Typical to moist
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature dimension: 2-3 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: Attracts butterflies but not deer; tolerates wet soil, although once established it will deal with drier conditions
Seasonal interest: Spring, summer, fall
When to plant: Anytime
U. of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Distinguishing traits. If you’re searching for an easy-care tree using a five-star rating, this is it.
Figurines: Masses of pendulous racemes of lightly fragrant white flowers cover this shrub in spring. Foliage: Healthy medium green leaves turn up the heat in fall using a fiery display to equal the omnipresent burning bush (Euonymus alatus, zones 4 to 9). Form: A neat, weed-smothering moundSize: Contrary to its big brother ‘Henry’s Garnet’, ‘Little Henry’ is only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide — perfect for smaller households. Soil: Joyful with wet feet. Clay soil? No issue.
U. of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden
How to use it. I’ve this shrub massed along a stream bank, where the clay land and saturated winter states are a bonus as opposed to a problem.
The modest size of ‘Little Henry’ makes it convenient for the front of the border or perhaps lining a woodland walk, where it combines beautifully with ferns and Japanese maples.
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To me personally the fall color is its best feature, so be sure to plant this where you can enjoy it at that time of year. Complete sunlight brings out the very intense fall color; mix it with other sun-loving shrubs and grasses to draw focus to this attribute.
This picture shows how the rosy tints of ‘My Monet’ weigela (Weigela florida‘My Monet’, zones 4 to 6) make an attractive color echo, whereas ‘Blue Dune’ lyme grass (Elymus arenarius ‘Blue Dune’, zones 4 to 9) cools things down in an exciting screen.
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Planting notes. Think in multiples. 1 shrub is pretty, but a bulk of five or even more is magnificent.
No particular treatment is required when planting. Just tease out the roots and water in well. Some gardeners prefer to add fertilizer to backyard shrubs in spring, but I prefer to just use compost as a yearly increase to improve general health and vigor whilst also helping to keep soil moisture.
It’s improbable that pruning will be essential, but it can be done immediately after flowering if needed.