Little Henry Sweetspire
Itea virginica 'Little Henry'
A two to three foot sweetspire for foundations and small borders. Fragrant white summer spikes, weeks of scarlet fall color, and deer leave it alone.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Fragrant summer blooms and brilliant fall color in a compact form that works in wet, dry, or shaded sites most plants can't handle.
Little Henry sweetspire is a compact cultivar of Virginia sweetspire that stays two to three feet tall, small enough for a foundation planting, container, or the front of a shaded border, but carrying all the multi-season value of the full-size species. In June and July, long arching spikes of fragrant white flowers appear and droop gracefully from the branches. Stand near it on a warm afternoon and the sweet fragrance carries clearly. Native bees cover the flowers. The fall color is among the most reliable and long-lasting of any native shrub, turning orange to scarlet to deep crimson and holding for three to four weeks. It tolerates wet soil, heavy shade, clay, and drought, the full range of difficult conditions, which makes it one of the most useful small natives in the trade. Deer won't touch it. Plant it where other things have failed and let it show you what it does.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown little henry sweetspire propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant little henry sweetspire instead of Japanese spirea cultivars (Spiraea japonica). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft · 30–48 in wide
- Bloom time
- June–July
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Iteaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States from New Jersey to Florida (straight species)
Care notes for little henry sweetspire.
Exceptionally adaptable: full sun to full shade, wet to average to dry soil. Tolerates clay. Water the first growing season; essentially maintenance-free after establishment. Spreads slowly by suckering. let it or remove suckers to keep it contained. No fertilization needed. Occasional thinning of oldest stems in late winter keeps the plant vigorous.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside little henry sweetspire.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.