{"id":8558,"date":"2016-06-01T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/?p=8558"},"modified":"2016-02-11T15:15:00","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T20:15:00","slug":"three-native-flowering-shrubs-for-your-summer-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/2016\/06\/01\/three-native-flowering-shrubs-for-your-summer-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Native Flowering Shrubs For Your Summer Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Itea<\/a>

Itea virginica ‘Henry Garnet’<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Plumleaf<\/a>

Plumleaf azalea bloom in July<\/p><\/div>\n

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V<\/strong>irginia sweetspire<\/strong> (Itea virginica<\/em>) flowers in late spring with dark green, pest-free summer foliage that turns brilliant red in fall (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). It thrives in full sun to partial shade, and in moist mildly acidic soils. It is also highly drought tolerant once established. Fertilize with\u00a0slow release fertilizer in early spring such as Osmocote or Nutrikote.<\/p>\n

Virginia sweetspire grows 3 to 6 feet tall and wide, depending on the cultivar planted. Leaves turn ruby red in fall. Pruning is rarely needed except to remove unwanted suckers after flowering has finished. Recommended cultivars include: \u2018Henry\u2019s Garnet\u2019 @ 5-6 feet, \u2018Little Henry\u2019 @ 4 – 5 feet; or \u2018Merlot\u2019 @ 3 \u2013 3 \u00bd feet<\/p>\n

Summersweet<\/strong> (Clethra alnifolia<\/em>)\u00a0is a deciduous shrub native to wet areas, such as low spots, stream banks, ponds, etc . (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This\u00a0densely-branched, round canopy deciduous shrub\u00a0typically grows to 3-8 feet high (depending on cultivar)\u00a0and bears\u00a0highly fragrant white (or pink)\u00a0flower panicles in mid to late summer. Flowers give way to dark brown seed capsules\u00a0in autumn and\u00a0persist\u00a0through\u00a0winter.\u00a0Dark green, obovate, 3-4 inch long\u00a0leaves\u00a0develop fall in color shades ranging from yellow to golden brown;\u00a0fall hues are\u00a0highly\u00a0variable from one year to the next. Flowers attract abundant\u00a0butterflies and bees.<\/p>\n

Fertilize with\u00a0slow release fertilizer in early spring. Summersweet is\u00a0trouble-free with\u00a0little disease and pest problems.\u00a0 Roots tend to sucker and plants form small colonies. Leading cultivars are\u00a0‘Ruby Spice’@ rose-pink, 8 feet tall; ‘Hummingbird’ @ white, 3-4 feet tall; and\u00a0‘Sixteen Candles’ @ white, 4-5 feet tall.<\/p>\n

Plumleaf azalea<\/strong> (Rhododendron prunifolium<\/em>) is an Alabama\/southwest Georgia native (USDA hardiness zones 5-9)\u00a0that blooms in mid-late July. Bright orange-red flowers will light up any garden spot whether in full sun or partial shade.\u00a0 A dark red flower\u00a0form is available. Flowers are not fragrant but still attract numerous butterflies and bees.<\/p>\n

It grows in average well-drained soil and asks for little nutrition. Irrigate during summer dry spells. It appears to be soil pH insensitive,\u00a0but likely prefers an acidic range between 5.5 to 6.5.\u00a0Plumleaf azalea grows 8-10 feet tall, but may be maintained to a 5-6 feet height and width. No diseases and insects pests trouble it. Pruning is rarely needed except for shaping the shrub.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/u> <\/strong>Cultivars of Virginia sweetspire and summersweet shrubs are readily available for sale. Plumleaf azaleas are rarely sold at local garden centers but you can purchase them\u00a0from e-commerce nurseries on-line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0               Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) flowers in late spring with dark green, pest-free summer foliage that turns brilliant red in fall (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). It thrives in full sun to partial shade, and in moist mildly acidic soils. It is also highly drought tolerant once established. Fertilize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[444,657,1218,747,749,605,710,144,674,806,665,10,745,551,627,843,761,1060,1059,601,777,1210,630,705,706,646,1184,7,1216,113,455],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8558"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8644,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558\/revisions\/8644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatgrowsthere.com\/grow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}