About
Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird' is a compact shrub that reaches heights of about 1.2 meters. It features glossy dark green foliage that transitions to yellow in the fall. In mid to late summer, it produces numerous feathery spikes adorned with fragrant white flowers reminiscent of cloves.
About the genus
Clethra consists of trees or shrubs that can be either deciduous or evergreen. They often feature notable bark and have simple leaves. The small, fragrant flowers are typically white, bell-shaped, and arranged in racemes or panicles.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- North-facing, West-facing, South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Suckering
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden
- Fragrance
- Flower
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in humus-rich, moist, well-drained, lime-free soil in dappled shade, in the shelter of an open woodland garden or a lightly-shaded shrub border; after pruning, mulch with well-rotted leaf mould
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1; in winter, remove some of the older stems, leaving the strongest suckers; cut off old flowerheads in spring
- Propagation
- Propagate by division of suckers, by heeled semi-ripe cuttings of lateral shoots in summer, or by layering in late autumn or early spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free