• White summersweet flowers next to bird bath
  • White summersweet flowers in a shady garden
  • Close up image of white flower spikes
  • Close up image of white flowers
  • Summersweet shrub with vibrant orange hues
1 6

Clethra Vanilla Spice® - Summersweet

$23.99
$23.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Experience the delightful scent of summer with Vanilla Spice® Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia). This native shrub features more than fragrant extra-large white flowers—it’s also an easy-care pollinator magnet! Bees, butterflies, and other insects won’t be able to leave the dozens of cherry-vanilla-scented florets alone, attracting pollinators in sun, part sun, and even shade environments.

Glossy green foliage adds a touch of elegance throughout spring and summer, creating a lush backdrop for the captivating white flowers. As the season transitions, the foliage transforms into a fiery display of brilliant autumnal hues. This flowering shrub is also deer-resistant and cold-tolerant to boot, thriving in nearly any environment with moist soil!

Vital details:
Plant size: 3-6' tall and wide
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun) to shade (<4 hours sun)
Water: Average to wet.
Hardiness: USDA zone 4-9 (Find your hardiness zone)
Pollinator value: Flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects.
Features: Wet soils, Proven Winners, native, low flammability, heat tolerant, fragrant, fall color, deer resistant, cold tolerant
Pot size: One quart
Plant name: Clethra alnifolia 'Caleb'

White summersweet flowers next to bird bath
White summersweet flowers in a shady garden
Close up image of white flower spikes
Close up image of white flowers
Summersweet shrub with vibrant orange hues

FAQs

Care & Planting Guide

After your plants have arrived:

The plants in this box have just spent a lot of time being jostled around in the dark and must be unboxed right away. Unpack the entire box, removing packaging material and plants. Remove any plastic covering the pot and/or soil surface and check if the soil is dry. Water anything that is dry or looks wilted. Any plants that have come unpotted during shipping can be replaced in their pots and their roots covered with soil.

Place plants in a cool, shaded spot out of direct sunlight for 24- 48 hours after unpacking them. This allows them a recovery and acclimation period before planting. If you must hold them longer, place them out of direct sunlight, wind, heat, and cold. Check daily for watering.

Our Guarantee

Our Guarantee

No Risk 60 Day Guarantee

We guarantee that you will be satisfied with your purchase and that your plants will arrive healthy, free of pests and diseases, and true to name.  If for any reason you are dissatisfied, notify us within 60 days of receipt of your order and we will refund you.

Fall Guarantee

Notify us within 7 days if you have a concern about orders shipped in autumn so we can make a note of it.  Warranty on such plants is extended to May 31 of the following year.  Our fall guarantee does not cover plants that are not hardy (i.e., able to survive winter) in your area, so please verify your USDA hardiness zone before purchasing. If you have questions about whether a plant can survive winter in your area, please call us before purchasing.

Our Larger Root Systems

We ship jumbo size plants with hefty root systems that outperform smaller plants obtained from other mail order nurseries.

Shortages/Damages

We take great pride in our packaging.  Please contact us immediately if any of your boxes arrive damaged, or if you find any shortages or inconsistencies in the order. Please note: multiple boxes shipped by Fed Ex might not always arrive the same day. For more information, please see our shipping page.

Dormant Plants

Any plant shipped dormant in the spring is guaranteed to break dormancy even if it takes more than one month.  Call us directly if you have any concerns.

Photos

Photos of the plant(s) will be required so that we may provide the best assistance possible.

Refunds

A plant refund is based on the plant cost less discounts and shipping charges.  Allow up to 2 weeks for processing.  We reserve the right to request a return of an item. Click here to request a refund.

Product Care

After 60 days, we cannot be responsible for product that is in your care.  This includes overwintering, animals, insects, diseases, poor planting, plants beyond their hardiness zone, drought, flooding, etc.  Our expert staff is here to assist you with any problem you may be experiencing.  Our goal is that you are successful with our product.

Our Record

Our parent company, GreatGardenPlants.com, has successfully shipped high quality plants for more than ten years.  We take the same pride in the quality of plants sold here at ButterflyBushes.com.

USDA Hardiness Zones

USDA Hardiness Zones Map

ZONE HARDINESS

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has devised a system to provide gardeners with a basic guide to plant hardiness – how much winter cold a plant can withstand. The Hardiness Zone Map system divides the United States and Canada into numbered zones based on lowest average winter temperature. Even within a zone, different micro-climates exist, such as large urban areas which may be warmer or land situated at different elevations.

WHAT EFFECTS PLANT HARDINESS

The Hardiness Zone Map is a valuable tool but it is not foolproof. There are a variety of factors that can influence the hardiness of a given plant in a garden. These factors include: soil type, drainage, snow cover, exposure to wind, winter, rainfall (or lack of), as well as fluctuations in temperature.

HOW IT WORKS ON OUR SITE

When you are on a plant page, scroll down until you see the bold "Hardiness" text.

Shipping Policy

Use collapsible tabs for more detailed information that will help customers make a purchasing decision.

Ex: Shipping and return policies, size guides, and other common questions.

Shipping Policy

How to Contact Us: 
General Customer Service & Phone Orders:
Phone: 1-877-447-4769 (Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST).
Mail: ButterflyBushes.com, 12601 120th Avenue, Grand Haven, MI 49417
Email: customerservice@butterflybushes.com

Shipping costs

We try to keep shipping rates as low as possible to offer you the best value. Unlike other companies, with us, when you buy more, you save more on shipping! Our standard rates are:

 Order Value:

Shipping Cost:

$0.01 – $39.99

 $16.99

$40.00 – $59.99 

 $9.99

$60.00 – $99.99

 $4.99
$100.00+ FREE

 

Don't worry: our discount rates don't mean we cut corners on shipping. Our professional shipping staff packs each order - each plant! - with the care they'd take in their own gardens. Your plants will arrive in good, healthy condition, ready for you and your visiting pollinators to enjoy.

Ship Schedule

Shipping will begin April 11 and close October 18, 2024. Once the beginning date for shipping in your zone has passed, we ship your order within three business days of when you placed it, provided all plants you ordered are in stock.

Not sure what zone you are in?  Use our map to find yours by ZIP code.  

Shipping Methods

Orders within the 48 contiguous states are shipped via Fed Ex Home Delivery Service, which delivers weekly Tuesday-Saturday. All orders require a street address.  We are unable to ship to Alaska, Hawaii, APO/FPO military address or PO boxes.

 

Customer Reviews

Based on 15 reviews
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D
Dianna H.

Clethra Vanilla Spice® - Summersweet

A
A.B.
Off to a great start!

These plants were smaller than I expected when I initially received them. But after planting them and watering as much as possible, they are starting to get bigger already! Very happy with my purchase.

A
Andrea S.
Plants came in very bad condition.

Planted them immediately, but they did not survive.

I am sorry about to hear about your plants. Please email pictures of any plant in question to claims@greatgardenplants.com, making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible.

M
M.
Arrived in great condition

The Vanilla Spice Sweet Shrub is looking healthy and growing strong.
No buds yet.

D
D.
Barely Surviving

Leaves have died, branches have budded for several weeks, I'm waiting for the buds to open up..

Hello! We're sorry to hear that you're having some trouble with your new plant. We'd be happy to help you figure out what is happening. Please email a photo of the plant to claims@greatgardenplants.com, making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. Happy Gardening!

https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee

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