Itea virginica ‘Merlot’
Overview
Uses: Mass plantings, mixed borders, rain gardens, native gardens, and part-shade beds.
Benefits: A compact native sweetspire with fragrant white flower spikes in late spring and rich merlot-red fall color that lasts for weeks. Handles wet soil and part shade, and feeds pollinators.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5–9
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Rounded, Mounding — compact and dense.
Bloom Color: White (fragrant)
Foliage Color: Green, turning deep Merlot-Red in fall
Mature Height: 3–4 feet
Mature Width: 3–4 feet
Bloom Season: Late spring to early summer
Growth Rate: Moderate
Summary
Fragrant white spikes in spring and deep wine-red leaves that linger well into fall.
Virginia sweetspire grows wild along streams and in damp woods of the eastern United States, which is why it takes wet, heavy soil that defeats so many flowering shrubs. Merlot keeps that adaptability in a compact, dense plant about three to four feet tall and wide.
In late spring, slender white flower spikes cover the plant and give off a light, sweet fragrance as spring turns to summer. Bees work them steadily. Through summer the foliage is a clean green, and then fall brings the show the selection is named for: the leaves turn a deep merlot red and often hold that color for weeks after other shrubs have dropped their leaves.
Use it in drifts along a rain garden or a low, damp corner of the yard, as a mass planting under high shade, or in a mixed border where its fall color can carry the bed into November. It spreads slowly by suckers, filling in a mass planting over time.
Care
Merlot Virginia Sweetspire Care
Plant in full sun to partial shade. More sun brings heavier flowering and the richest fall color; in partial shade the plant still blooms well, with somewhat softer autumn tones.
Sweetspire prefers moist, slightly acidic soil with some organic matter, and it tolerates clay and ground that stays wet for stretches. That makes it a strong choice for rain gardens, drainage swales, and low spots near downspouts. It also grows well in an ordinary garden bed.
Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season while roots establish. Established plants handle wet periods easily and tolerate short dry spells, though they look their best with consistent moisture. A layer of mulch helps hold that moisture through summer.
Feeding needs are light. One application of a slow release fertilizer in early spring is plenty, and plants in reasonable soil often need none.
Sweetspire flowers on the previous year’s growth, so do any shaping right after the blooms fade. Every few years, remove a few of the oldest stems at the base to keep the plant full. Trim back suckers if you want to keep it in a tighter footprint, or leave them to fill in a mass planting.
Size
What Size is the Merlot Virginia Sweetspire for Sale Online?
Our Merlot Virginia Sweetspire ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Merlot Virginia Sweetspire Grow?
Expect about 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide at maturity, in a rounded, mounding shape. Space plants about 3 feet apart for a continuous mass planting.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
- Virginia sweetspire
- Virginia willow
- Tassel-white
Is Merlot Virginia Sweetspire a native plant?
It is a selection of Itea virginica, which is native to the eastern and southeastern United States. Selections like this one are often called nativars: they keep the flowers and pollinator value of the native species in a more compact, garden-friendly size. Browse more Native Plants of North America.
Will it grow in wet or clay soil?
Yes. Sweetspire naturally grows along stream banks and in low woods, so it tolerates periodically wet ground and heavy clay better than most flowering shrubs. It is one of the more reliable choices for rain gardens and soggy corners, and it does not need wet soil to thrive.
How is Merlot different from the straight species?
Wild Virginia sweetspire can grow taller and looser and spread more widely by suckers. Merlot stays compact and dense at about three to four feet, and it was selected for especially deep red fall color. For more flowering shrubs in this size range, see our Shrubs & Bushes.
