Virginia sweetspire

Description

Itea virginica, the Virginia sweetspire or Virginia willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iteaceae (formerly Saxifragaceae), native to the southern United States and particularly associated with Virginia. Itea virginica is a deciduous shrub growing to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad, with alternate, simple leaves on arching stems. The flowers are white or cream, borne in downward pointing slightly curved spikes, in summer. It is a multistemmed, suckering and colonizing plant, with the stems branching infrequently except at the tops. In favourable conditions it may become semi-evergreen. The leaves turn shades of red in fall (autumn). It is hardy down to at least −15 °C (5 °F). In cultivation in the UK the cultivar ‘Henry’s Garnet’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.