(Bagflower, Bleeding Heart Vine)

Beautiful flower clusters of red and white adorn this West African flowering vine when growing conditions are favorable. Bleeding heart vine is evergreen, though it will lose some leaves during the cool, dry African winter. It is vigorous and climbs via twining stems. In the wild, it twines up trees in tropical forests, so it’s naturally shade tolerant.

The dark green leaves of bleeding heart vine are ovate and deeply veined. During the growing season, or when conditions are favorable, it bears...

(Harlequin Glorybower)

Fragrant white flowers followed by blue berries and starry red calyces make this large suckering deciduous shrub a highlight of the summer garden. One of the hardiest glorybowers, it is native to eastern Asia.

The large oval to triangular leaves are papery and often fuzzy. Crushed leaves smell like peanut butter. Large, loose clusters of fused, inflated, green or pink calyces appear atop and along the stems in mid to late summer, opening to release vanilla-scented white flowers. The five-lobed...

(Blue Butterfly Bush, Glorybower)

The unusual, colorful flowers of blue butterfly bush make this a highly sought after garden plant for temperate and tropical gardens alike. This rangy, frost-tender, evergreen shrub is native to tropical East Africa. Often listed as a vine, it has a weak, upright habit and sometimes requires support, though it is far too rangy or bushy to be considered a true vine.

Large, coarsely toothed, elliptical leaves of medium green line the square stems in opposite arrangement. The flowers are borne...

(Cinnamon Clethra, Pointed-leaved White Alder)

Named for its colorful bark, cinnamon clethra is also noteworthy for its yellow fall color and white summer flowers. Native to moist habitats in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, it develops into a medium to tall shrub in the northernmost part of its range, and a small tree in the South. Plants will sucker and if untended can form thickets over time.

The large, medium to dark green, oval leaves of cinnamon clethra have serrated edges, pointed tips and deep pleated veins. The leaves...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush, White Summersweet)

Prized for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant flowers, this suckering deciduous shrub is native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. Appearing in midsummer, the spicy-scented white or pink flowers attract butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seedheads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall. Several cultivars are widely available, including pink-flowered and dwarf selections such as 'Compacta', 'Hummingbird',...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Hummingbird Summersweet, White Summersweet)

Prized for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant flowers, summersweet is a suckering deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. ‘Hummingbird’ is a low-growing selection. In midsummer, its spicy-scented white flowers attract butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seed heads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall.

'Hummingbird' needs a moist acid soil with good drainage in full sun to...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Pink Spire Summersweet, White Summersweet)

Prized for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant midsummer flowers, summersweet is a suckering deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. The cultivar ‘Pink Spire’ bears pale pink, spicy-scented flowers, opening from rose-pink buds. The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seedheads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall.

'Pink Spire' needs a moist, acid soil with...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Pink Summersweet, White Summersweet)

Loved by gardeners for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant midsummer flowers, summersweet is a suckering deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. The cultivar ‘Rosea’ bears pale pink, spicy-scented flowers which fade to near-white. The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seedheads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall.

‘Rosea’ needs a moist, acid soil with good...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Ruby Spice Summersweet, White Summersweet)

Known for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant midsummer flowers, summersweet is a suckering deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. The cultivar ‘Ruby Spice’ bears rose-pink flowers, opening from rose-red buds. The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seedheads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall.

‘Ruby Spice’ needs a moist, acid soil with good drainage in...

(Coastal Sweetpepperbush)

Prized for its handsome foliage, compact upright habit, and fuzzy spikes of fragrant flowers, this suckering deciduous shrub is native to the eastern United States from Maine to Florida. Sixteen Candles sweetpepperbush has a compact habit and blooms in midsummer, with spicily scented white flowers held upright on the ends of its branches. These are a magnet for butterflies and bees. Peppercorn-like seedheads follow the flowers, providing winter interest. The leaves turn butter-yellow in fall.

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