Add four-season interest with Itea virginica 'Love Child®', a compact selection of Virginia sweetspire that shines from summer into fall. In early to mid-summer, you get drooping, bottlebrush-like racemes of small white flowers with a light fragrance, followed by tidy woody seed capsules that can persist. When autumn arrives, the foliage turns vivid shades of red, often holding color late into the season for a strong finish.

Plant it in full sun to part shade. Sun generally improves flowering, fall color, and overall density, while part shade can be helpful in hotter climates. This shrub naturally fits where soil stays evenly moist: along the edge of a pond, beside a downspout outlet, in a rain garden, or anywhere you want a dependable native shrub that can handle periodically wet ground once established.

For best performance, water regularly during the first growing season to establish a deep, resilient root system. After that, it is adaptable to a wide range of soil types and pH levels, and it tolerates both moist and occasionally wet sites. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to conserve moisture and moderate soil temperatures, keeping mulch a few inches back from the stems.

'Love Child®' can spread by suckering in favorable conditions. If you want a cleaner outline, remove unwanted shoots at the base as they appear. Prune right after flowering, since it blooms on the previous season's wood. Use it as a low informal hedge, a mass planting, or as a focal shrub where butterflies and hummingbirds will visit the summer flowers.

Specifications

• Cold hardiness zone: 5-9 (-20 degrees F) - Contact your local extension to confirm hardiness if you are in a fringe zone (we cannot guarantee hardiness in fringe zones)
• Light: Full sun   Part sun
• Growth rate: Moderate
• Mature height: 36-48"
• Spread: 36-48"
• Tolerant of: Drought, Wet Conditions
• Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds
• Native to the U.S.: Yes

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