Plant Patent Applied For. Cultivar name: 'Caleb'. A stunning alternative to big, rangy Clethra long on foliage and short on blooms, Vanilla Spice™ not only offers larger flowers on taller bloomstalks, but also keeps a neat, tidy habit that makes it accessible to smaller gardens and tight spaces it has never enjoyed before. The fragrance is overwhelming, the color lovely, and the butterflies thick in the air when Vanilla Spice™ is in full bloom!
Each flower on these closely packed spikes is about the size of a dime — half again as large as most others, and boasting clear white petals punctuated by long russet-red anthers. The entire bloom panicle is 10 to 12 inches long, opening from the base gradually to the tip for weeks of fresh blooms every morning. The show begins in late summer in most climates and continues through the first part of fall, ceasing only when the temperature really drops.
Just 3 to 6 feet high and wide, this Clethra belongs in the front of the shrub border, the foundation, or as a hedge in any sun-soaked part of the garden. It is even compact enough for containers! A deciduous shrub introduced by plantsman Tim Wood, it boasts all the native vigor of the species plus hybrid advantages from larger blooms to longer flowering period. For carefree late-season color and plenty of butterflies, you simply can't equal it! Zones 5-9.
