#Virginia Sweetspire

[indigrassy]

Virginia sweetspire

[faguscarolinensis]

Itea virginica / Virginia Sweetspire at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[tylahsdigitalfieldguide]

Itea virginica Virginia Sweetspire

This plant was photographed on Northeastern University's arboretum near Carter Field. The plant itself is very spread out and has a beautiful red color

Basic Facts

This deciduous shrub is native to Eastern North American and has cold hardiness zones of 5 to 9. This plant prefers full sun to part shade and medium to wet, well drained soil. It can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions however. The branches arch and you can expect this plant to grow 3 to 5 feet in height and the same in spread.

Design

This plant blooms later in the year; around June to July. The flowers are tiny and white. The fall color is very attractive and vibrant, so consider these factors when designing. It can be used in mass for ground cover and is great for any wet locations. Consider using this plant for woodland gardens, shrub borders, or hedges

Bird Attraction

Although the flower on this plant attracts insects and pollinators, the raceme flowers become capsules with seeds that act as food for bird. This plant not only provides food for birds, but also cover. Many species of birds rely on the foliage of this plant for cover and habitat

Sources

https://www.clemson.edu/cafls//demo/plant_profiles/itea-virginica.html#:~:text=These%20fragrant%20flowers%20also%20attract,gold%20during%20the%20fall13.

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286893

[photosbyjez]

V Flowers -- FOTD Oct

V #Flowers is my latest post for Cee's FOTD Oct #photography

Hi all 😃 My latest post for Cee’s FOTD & Judy’s Floral Alphabet Challenge. Today’s flowers are Virginia Sweetspire, Viburnum, Violas & Violets. Virginia SweetspireVirginia SweetspireViburnumViola VioletsViolets

[planttoday]

The plant of today: Virginia Sweetspire

Virginia Sweetspire is a native deciduous to a semi-evergreen shrub that is found in the southeast USA on streambanks and wet pine barrens. It is found in most areas of NC. It can grow up to 8 feet tall and has graceful arching branches. In early summer, small, fragrant, white flowers occur in terminal arching racemes. Fall color is red to purple and last well into winter.

I have seen plants like this but never knew their name, but I think this is very fitting and cute. it would be nice to have them sitting in the walk way leading into your door. just a lovely plant to be honest

when you read this I hope you are having a good day, and I hope with everyday it gets better and better

picture link - https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/virginia-sweetspire/

info link - https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/itea-virginica/

[headspace-hotel]

Got a friend starting a garden at their home in eastern NC, hoping to go wild with native plants and minimal lawn grass but dealing with a strict HOA.

Any ideas I can pass along?

Add flowerbeds until you have more flowerbed than lawn. Dense flowerbeds packed with so much stuff you couldn't tell at first glance if it's "weedy" or not. Pinterest actually has some great ideas for how to make a gorgeous looking "native plant garden" that is natural but still looks nice and neat.

A single patch of native plants and flowers is enormously beneficial to wild creatures. It's not about the surface area alone.

If there's room and you're allowed, a little grove of trees is a great idea. You can eventually seed shade-loving wildflowers underneath and it will look like heaven if you're willing to wait 10 years.

So, all these plants depend on HOW east you are, but: Sweetgum drops seed pods, but it is an awesome tree for wildlife. Our native red mulberry feeds at least 30 bird species and people too, but it is an understory tree that likes shade so it's not step one.

Red maples are good, but they're a common tree already in suburban areas. Tulip poplar is a host plant for the tiger swallowtail butterfly. I highly recommend an oak—oaks are considered keystone species. Best practice is to find out precisely what ecoregion you're in, work out how close you are to waterways, and from there reconstruct the kind of habitat the yard would like to be.

Shrubs...native shrubs are not appreciated enough. I think trying staghorn sumac, Virginia sweetspire, spicebush, Arrow-wood viburnum, and/or red-osier dogwood could be good?

It's a great idea to build a pergola that you can grow vines on.

[its-toasted]

Sweet nothings from redland

You'd really rather i shorten the name like it don't land fine as virginia sweetspire.

Skypatch like sycamore barkpeel like sunburn birthmark like star,

a dust of you takes me as far as muscles might remember.

I know running begins up top a lot like breaking off a poem, all you need is to feel rhythm.

I think back to a walk with mother at sugarloaf, our love end of leash

think i miss singing loud up front and the dog wind-riding shotgun

and once she left i stopped going.

It's a joke, when the body can say yes, and head no

such simple things flown astray, it aches to explain

why can't i crack to the yes dust-off a once-darling cello or finish reading that novel or want to be good, again forever

.

Today you will breathe and imagine my holy back into existence as if it's unlike god,

merge with a bed against the equator craving hand security at the small of the back.

I think about a someday and you like you solange

think i slip on sundays so i gotta call my mom

and then i got you next.

You see me filled in depth like no letter is misplaced

i might wrestle bowlines to mercy, undo any knot

but don't let me promise, i'm sorry i've got no nails.

Maybe i can love in pillar and stone, sword and mirror smoke and shield

but muffled softly in hemp, all my mistakes tonight wind in your temple

[validwofhybridnames]

My main OC is a LeafWing/SkyWing Hybrid names Sweetspire. Named after the Virginia sweetspire which is a red plant.

oh! red plant for a sky hybrid, clever!

[marshmallowprotection]

I had a hard time narrowing it down so I hope you don't mind that I picked two for each of you Kait: Rosemary and Virginia Sweetspire Haruka: Catmint and Larkspur

Oh, that's sweet. Rosemary can stand for love and I do believe there's an old tale about using rosemary to find a partner. It's just me making matchup posts! I haven't seen Sweetspire before so that was a real fun addition to see.

Catmint are lovely... It's a pointed choice and very sharp for him. He is sweet but there's a strongness there. I think Larkspur was an interesting choice for him. The symbolism there usually comes from blood spilled for another. It's about strong attatchments and a desire for happiness. Your first love. I tend to pick flowers that work with his darkness and disposition but these bright flowers make me go... owo

He says you're not wrong

[nimbus-tatze]

for the record the shrub is virginia sweetspire itea virginica. i know this isnt relevant i just figured i knew and could share, therefore i am :D

oh hey, thanks for the info!!

[faguscarolinensis]

Physocephala tibialis on Itea virginica / Thick-Headed Fly on Virginia Sweetspire at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[standonecology]

Itea virginica

Virginia Sweetspire

Location: The Rail Park - Philadelphia, PA

The Virginia Sweetspire is a perrennial shrub that grows to a height of 8 feet and a spread of 5 feet. It is known for its bright crimson fall color. In the spring it blooms white to cream colored flowers. It is also known to grow and spread in colonies.

Solar Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Hardiness Zones: 5-9

Preferred Soil: Loam, clay; well drained; slightly acidic

(Source: PictureThis Plant ID app)

[thesonnystoner]

I love the sleep that rewards a day of working in the garden. I wake up feeling like I’ve been healed and nourished, praying “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world”.

That is, unless it’s another rainy, gloomy, cool-ish day like today.  That’s Spring for ya, a moody little witch that can get you high in the 70s and kill that buzz with a low 40…

We had some good work-days this week.  All of the veggies are in.  I’ve kept one bed free for a second sowing of green beans.  The original bed is sloow popping up, thanks to those 40s and some pounding rain, but I think they’ll be okay.  I’ve changed around some of the container contents, and may change them again. I ended up with too many bell peppers and roma tomatoes and had no choice but to plant as many as I could find space for.  I still have 4 peppers and 1 roma left, if anybody’s interested…

The Big Excitement, though, is Phase I of our Bird Garden.  We spend quite a bit of time watching the birds, especially in the winter and we realized we wanted our feeders to be closer, and where we could more easily see.  Inspired by Sharon Sorenson’s book, Planting Native to Attract Birds to Your Yard , I started envisioning planting a playground for our birds to frolic as we while away the winter watching..

You’ve probably noticed that I change my mind a Lot, but this is a start.  First thing we bought was a Sweet Bay Magnolia.  This tree is allegedly a bird-magnet, providing a little something for every season.  I already have a 10-year-old Jane magnolia, but that is not native.  The birds love it, though, and it is a great backdrop for photos in the winter.  The sweet bay grows larger than Jane, and we put it strategically away from the house, positioned to eventually touch the Jane’s branches.

I broke my rules and bought another non-native Jane because I wanted a smaller tree to define the south boundary of the garden.  The hummingbird feeders are hanging to either side of the south door and already are hosting hummers.

In my head is this grand design using picket fencing, but in order to get things going for next winter’s bird-watching, we simply moved the bird feeders currently in use and planted native rudbeckia and echinacea around the poles.  We still need to widen the flower area, but that is some tenacious weed growing there.   Sharon didn’t have to tell me how much the birds love those and I can hardly wait to watch the goldfinches feast on them.

Still in the planning stages, we’re adding a Viburnum and some sweet virginia sweetspire around the south side for them to feast on out of our sight.  I hope by winter we’ll have a ground-level bubbler added, but for now we’ve got an old birdbath thrown down for water…  Still needs imagination when I look at it, but I like it…

Last year, looking for a red perennial vine, I found a half-dead Rebecca clematis at Lowes, brought it home and nursed it back to health, but not bloom.  Check it out this year!

While the heavens water the gardens here at Sonnystone, I’ll be turning my attention to the weather in Louisville tomorrow for the Oaks and Saturday for the Kentucky Derby…

 Peace

Weekly Garden Journal #2 I love the sleep that rewards a day of working in the garden. I wake up feeling like I've been healed and nourished, praying "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world".

[elsielewi5]

White in the Garden

Planting up your garden is a big project, depending of course on how big your garden is, and how complex you want it to be. Along with choosing sizes, shapes, evergreen or deciduous, and what will grow where, there are many possibilities to consider with color, from both foliage and flowers. When we go out to a garden center there is a tendency to be attracted by unusual colors, and plants with dark red flowers, or purple and red leaves, are always big sellers. One color that is often ignored or passed by is white, which is very often seen as ‘boring’, or ‘colorless’. Gardens with only white flowers come in and out of fashion over the years, and they can be seen as either high-fashion or pretentious, depending on when and where they are. But used with other colors white has a lot going for it, so let’s consider how and why using white in the garden is a great thing to do.

White Always Stands Out

A wonderful virtue of white is that it always shows up, and never disappears into the background. A problem with dark colored leaves and flowers is that they can look rich and vibrant close-up, but a few yards away they can disappear. This is especially a problem in shaded areas, where these colors often vanish into the shadows. White will never do this – in fact it glows out of the darkest corner, catching the eye from across the other side of the garden, and opening up the scene. As well, white is at its best in late afternoon and on long summer evenings – which is often exactly when we use the garden, after a busy day at work. The calming effect is clear, and it makes a relaxing and yet sophisticated atmosphere – perfect to chill out in after a stressful day.

The lesson is that while white becomes ‘washed out’ in sunny spots, in shade, in the early evening, or on cloudy days, it really stands out, and the focus on using it should be in those situations. Where you live is an important factor. If you are reading this in New Mexico, then you will almost certainly instead go for bright colors, because the sun is always there. If you live in Oregon, or the north-east, cloud is a fact of daily life, and on those cloudy days your garden will look at its best if you have added plenty of white to the mix.

White Never Clashes with Other Colors

Worrying about what colors go with what is a regular concern of gardeners who want to create a harmonious scene in their garden beds. Sometimes we worry too much about this, because green is a great harmonizer, and if you have plenty of green leaves around the atmosphere will be forgiving in a way that doesn’t happen with interior decorating. Even so, often when we look at a garden, we see nice colors used, but the overall effect is flat and unexciting. Using acidic yellows to lift plantings of pinks and purples is a well-known designer’s ‘trick’, but for all color plantings, white has the same effect. It magically lifts all other colors to a higher level, brightening and intensifying them, and turning a dull bed into a beautiful vision.

Yet because it is often seen as ‘no color’, many gardeners ignore it, and lose out on the beauty it brings. The great historic color-gardener Gertrude Jekyll, who gardened in England in the late 19th century, and invented the idea of blending garden colors, would always grow a supply of white-flowering plants in pots and use them when she noticed dull areas, or where something like bulbs had died down and left a gap. Most of us today don’t have the facilities behind the scenes to do such a thing, but the idea that ‘white will always work’ is a good one.

Where to Use White Plants

Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel

Around our homes we often plant ‘foundation planting’. These shrubs make the transition from the hard, upright lines of a building into the soft, rounded shapes of the garden. The hide foundations and utilities, cover blank walls, and hold our homes in the hands of our gardens. So that it always looks attractive, it is usual to use evergreens for most of this planting. If you are in areas warm enough for flowering evergreens, then choosing white flowering ones makes a lot of sense. No matter what the color of your walls, or if in the future you decide to re-finish them, when the flowers are out there can never be a clash, and everything will look harmonious.

We also often put larger shrubs in the background of beds. ‘Larger’ could be 5 feet in a smaller bed, or 15 feet in a bigger one. I am not suggesting avoiding plants with beautiful colors all together, but a good balance of white blooms in those areas makes the perfect neutral background, so that you can play around in front with roses and flowers without any color problems.

Some Useful Plants with White Flowers

Itea Little Henry

If you live in warmer zones, a great choice for background and foundation planting are the Encore Azaleas. These fast-growing plants will grow well in sun or light shade, such as along the north wall of a house, and as long as you have the necessary acid soil, they are easy to grow. Their big feature is flowering not just in spring, but also through summer, with an ‘encore’ blooming in fall too, bringing flowers for months. In the range of Encore Azaleas there are three with white flowers, that work well for different scale planting.

The smallest is Autumn Ivory, growing just 2½ feet tall and 3 feet wide. It’s ideal for weaving areas of white among brighter colors. Next in size is Autumn Angel, growing 3 feet tall, perfect for smaller beds and the front of foundation plantings. Then there are Autumn Moonlight and Autumn Lily, both between 4 and 5 feet tall, which is perfect for the back of smaller beds, or around the house. Autumn Moonlight is especially useful, because it will reach 5 feet tall, but stay only 4 feet wide, so for a narrow space against a north-facing wall, or between a path and a fence, it really cannot be beaten.

Other good choices for white-flowering foundation shrubs include Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), especially one with smaller leaves which flowers profusely with 4-inch spikes of tiny white flowers every spring. This is the Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel, which is the very best choice in all but the largest gardens, as even un-clipped it won’t grow much over 8 feet tall and wide.

Another more uncommon shrub to consider for shade, especially if you have damp, shady areas, is Virginia Sweetspire, or Itea Little Henry, now more correctly called Cyrilla racemiflora ‘Sprich’. Growing just 2 or 3 feet tall, with scented white flowers all summer, its perfect to edge a shady pathway, or between a lawn and a wooded area, and the white blooms will glow out of the shade, just like we suggested earlier that it would.

Once you start looking out for white-flowering plants you will see just how common they are, and have lots of material to work with that won’t disappear into the shade, or clash with other colors – top reasons why white should be your top choice.

White in the Garden published first on https://www.thetreecenter.com

[cameronf24]

White in the Garden

Planting up your garden is a big project, depending of course on how big your garden is, and how complex you want it to be. Along with choosing sizes, shapes, evergreen or deciduous, and what will grow where, there are many possibilities to consider with color, from both foliage and flowers. When we go out to a garden center there is a tendency to be attracted by unusual colors, and plants with dark red flowers, or purple and red leaves, are always big sellers. One color that is often ignored or passed by is white, which is very often seen as ‘boring’, or ‘colorless’. Gardens with only white flowers come in an out of fashion over the years, and they can be seen as either high-fashion or pretentious, depending on when and where they are. But used with other colors white has a lot going for it, so let’s consider how and why using white in the garden is a great thing to do.

White Always Stands Out

A wonderful virtue of white is that it always shows up, and never disappears into the background. A problem with dark colored leaves and flowers is that they can look rich and vibrant close-up, but a few yards away they can disappear. This is especially a problem in shaded areas, where these colors often vanish into the shadows. White will never do this – in fact it glows out of the darkest corner, catching the eye from across the other side of the garden, and opening up the scene. As well, white is at its best in late afternoon and on long summer evenings – which is often exactly when we use the garden, after a busy day at work. The calming effect is clear, and it makes a relaxing and yet sophisticated atmosphere – perfect to chill out in after a stressful day.

The lesson is that while white becomes ‘washed out’ in sunny spots, in shade, in the early evening, or on cloudy days, it really stands out, and the focus on using it should be in those situations. Where you live is an important factor. If you are reading this in New Mexico, then you will almost certainly instead go for bright colors, because the sun is always there. If you live in Oregon, or the north-east, cloud is a fact of daily life, and on those cloudy days your garden will look at its best if you have added plenty of white to the mix.

White Never Clashes with Other Colors

Worrying about what colors go with what is a regular concern of gardeners who want to create a harmonious scene in their garden beds. Sometimes we worry too much about this, because green is a great harmonizer, and if you have plenty of green leaves around the atmosphere will be forgiving in a way that doesn’t happen with interior decorating. Even so, often when we look at a garden, we see nice colors used, but the overall effect is flat and unexciting. Using acidic yellows to lift plantings of pinks and purples is a well-known designer’s ‘trick’, but for all color plantings, white has the same effect. It magically lifts all other colors to a higher level, brightening and intensifying them, and turning a dull bed into a beautiful vision. Yet because it is often seen as ‘no color’, many gardeners ignore it, and lose out on the beauty it brings. The great historic color gardener Gertrude Jekyll, who gardened in England in the late 19th century, and invented the idea of blending garden colors, would always grow a supply of white-flowering plants in pots and use them when she noticed dull areas, or where something like bulbs had died down and left a gap. Most of us today don’t have the facilities behind the scenes to do such a thing, but the idea that ‘white will always work’ is a good one.

Where to Use White

Around our homes we often plant ‘foundation planting’. These shrubs make the transition from the hard, upright lines of a building into the soft, rounded shapes of the garden. The hide foundations and utilities, cover blank walls, and hold our homes in the hands of our gardens. So that it always looks attractive, it is usual to use evergreens for most of this planting. If you are in areas warm enough for flowering evergreens, then choosing white flowering ones makes a lot of sense. No matter what the color of your walls, or if in the future you decide to re-finish them, when the flowers are out there can never be a clash, and everything will look harmonious.

We also often put larger shrubs in the background of beds. ‘Larger’ could be 5 feet in a smaller bed, or 15 feet in a bigger one. I am not suggesting avoiding plants with beautiful colors all together, but a good balance of white blooms in those areas makes the perfect neutral background, so that you can play around in front with roses and flowers without any color problems.

Some Useful Plants with White Flowers

If you live in warmer zones, a great choice for background and foundation planting are the Encore Azaleas. These fast-growing plants will grow well in sun or light shade, such as along the north wall of a house, and as long as you have the necessary acid soil, they are easy to grow. Their big feature is flowering not just in spring, but also through summer, with an ‘encore’ blooming in fall too, bringing flowers for months. In the range of Encore Azaleas there are three with white flowers, that work well for different scale planting.

The smallest is Autumn Ivory, growing just 2½ feet tall and 3 feet wide. It’s ideal for weaving areas of white among brighter colors. Next in size is Autumn Angel, growing 3 feet tall, perfect for smaller beds and the front of foundation plantings. Then there are Autumn Moonlight and Autumn Lily, both between 4 and 5 feet tall, which is perfect for the back of smaller beds, or around the house.  Autumn Moonlight is especially useful, because it will reach 5 feet tall, but stay only 4 feet wide, so for a narrow space against a north-facing wall, or between a path and a fence, it really cannot be beaten.

Other good choices for white-flowering foundation shrubs include Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, especially one with smaller leaves which flowers profusely with 4-inch spikes of tiny white flowers every spring. This is the Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel, which is the very best choice in all but the largest gardens, as even un-clipped it won’t grow much over 8 feet tall and wide.

Another more uncommon shrub to consider for shade, especially if you have damp, shady areas, is Virginia Sweetspire, or Itea Little Henry, now more correctly called Cyrilla racemiflora ‘Sprich’. Growing just 2 or 3 feet tall, with scented white flowers all summer, its perfect to edge a shady pathway, or between a lawn and a wooded area, and the white blooms will glow out of the shade, just like we suggested earlier that it would.

Once you start looking out for white-flowering plants you will see just how common they are, and have lots of material to work with that won’t disappear into the shade, or clash with other colors – top reasons why white should be your top choice.

White in the Garden posted first on https://www.thetreecenter.com