Clethra alnifolia 'HUMMINGBIRD'

Sweet pepper bush is a deciduous shrub from North America. It belongs to a family of its own name clethraceae with only two genera: clethra and purdiaea. Its natural habitat spreads from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas. It is cultivated mostly for its strongly fragrant flowers in midsummer. Apart from the species growing up to 3m tall there are several varieties of shorter or even dwarf habit.

Hummingbird is a cute name for a cute and truly dwarf sweet pepper bush variety. From late July it produces a profusion of rather short, spike-like, erect racemes composed of creamy white, sweetly scented flowers. They last for 2-3 weeks but a well-established shrub may produce 2 or 3 flushes of flowers to continue blooming until early September.

Oval leaves are deciduous, mid to dark green, 4-5 cm long, finely serrated, and very glossy. They cover the plant completely to make it look great even when not in bloom. For dense foliage it does not like being shaded by other, smaller companion plants placed too close. Hummingbird is a compact and short-growing variety which does not require pruning to remain small. Yet, you can try to shape it a bit in early spring to see how even more compact and lush it can get. It was awarded AGM (Award of Garden Merit) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in England in 2017.

Grow it in neutral to acidic, fertile, humus-rich, moist or wet soil in full sun or partial shade (preferred). It tolerates wet and heavy clay soil but hates drought. Fully hardy to about -34°C or more (USDA zone 4) and suitable for planters only with good irrigation.

Last update 20-09-2022