About
Clethra delavayi Franch. is a sizable deciduous shrub that can reach heights of up to 4 meters. It features arching branches and blue-green foliage that can grow up to 15 centimeters in length. In midsummer, this plant produces dense clusters of cup-shaped white flowers that emit a pleasant fragrance and are held horizontally on the stems.
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
- Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Native to
- W. China
- Fragrance
- Flower
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained acidic soil in partial or dappled shade; a woodland garden is ideal
- Pruning
- See pruning group 1
- Propagation
- Propagate by sowing seed in containers outdoors in spring or autumn. Take greenwood cuttings in early summer
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free