Red Summersweet 'Ruby Spice'

Mid-summer fragrant blooms when almost everything else is done flowering, plus deep deer resistance and the ability to handle wet, shady spots that stump most shrubs.

'Ruby Spice' is a pink-flowered summersweet that solves the mid-summer gap when many flowering shrubs have finished. The deep rose-pink flower spikes open in July and August, later in the season than most other flowering shrubs, and fill the air with a sweet, spicy fragrance that carries through a garden on warm evenings. The scent is one of those summer garden smells worth walking outside just to catch. Bees absolutely mob the flowers. Bumblebees, honeybees, and dozens of native bee species load up on the pollen and nectar through the entire bloom period. The foliage turns clean yellow in fall, and the plant itself handles moist soils that challenge most flowering shrubs: wet areas, rain gardens, and low spots are prime planting spots.