Itea virginica
Itea virginica, the Virginia sweetspire or Virginia willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iteaceae, native to the southern United States and particularly associated with Virginia.Description
Itea virginica is a deciduous shrub growing to tall and 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. It is hardy down to at least.
In cultivation in the UK the cultivar ‘Henry’s Garnet’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
