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Itea Little Henry®
Itea virginica 'Sprich'
Itea Little Henry or Dwarf Sweetspire is as colorful as burning bushes in the fall, but native to North America which means it's pollinator-friendly!
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Itea Little Henry for Sale Online
Itea Little Henry® (Itea virginica 'Little Henry') is a useful, low-maintenance, compact native shrub. This deer-resistant native plant offers many uses in the home landscape.
Little Henry® is a dwarf sweetspire variety that provides charming white summer flowers and red fall foliage. This low-maintenance shrub is shade-tolerant and wet soil tolerant. It will grow in full sun to full shade, requiring little pruning or other care.
Little Henry Sweetspire has lightly scented, pure white flowers that shoot like fireworks in the early summer. Its mounded, low-growing stature improves it over older varieties such as the old favorite Itea 'Henry’s Garnet'. In the Fall, the foliage of Little Henry changes to a brilliant multitude of oranges and reds. Itea Little Henry can be useful as a foundation planting or incorporated into a mixed border planting as a featured pollinator plant. This reliable shrub can even be used in a mass planting for erosion control.
Little Henry’s compact size, fragrant flowers, multi-season interest and low-maintenance make it one of the most popular native shrubs on the market.
| Hardiness Zone: | 5-9 |
|---|---|
| Mature Height: | 2 to 3 Feet |
| Mature width: | 2 to 3 Feet |
| Classification: | Broad Leaved deciduous shrub, Summer flowering |
| Sunlight: | Full Sun to Part Shade |
| Habit: | Upright, great for naturalizing |
| Foliage: | Dark Green |
| Flower Color: | Fragrant pure white. 2 to 3 inches long. |
| Pruning Season: | Prune in summer after flowering. |
| Soil Condition: | Any well-drained slightly acidic soil |
| Water Require: | Water well until established. |
| Uses: | Tolerates moist soil and partial shade or full sun. Full sun brings out the best fall color. Will adapt to drier sites. Spreads by suckers; remove them as they appear if you don’t want a colony. |
How to Care for Itea Little Henry®
After purchasing your Itea Little Henry Shrubs, be sure to read our recommended care instructions to ensure a healthy and happy plant for years to come.
How do I plant my Itea Little Henry Shrubs?
We suggest when planting your newly purchased Itea Little Henry plants that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system but not deeper. The most common cause of plant death after transplanting is planting the new plant to deep. A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots of Itea Little Henry to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted.
When Should I Water My Itea?
After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Itea Little Henry a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator bag Jr. can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long hedge.
When Should I Fertilize Itea Little Henry?
Either chemical fertilizers or organic matter can be used successfully with Iteas. If a liquid fertilizer such as Jacks Classic is used for Itea Little Henry, it should be applied every month during the spring and early summer for both plants in pots and in the ground. Don’t fertilize Itea Little Henry after August. Fall is the time for Iteas to begin preparing for dormancy. Fertilizing at this time may stimulate new growth that will be too tender to withstand the winter.
What Type Of Mulch Should I Use for Itea Shrubs?
We highly recommend that you mulch your Itea Little Henry with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. Its better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or trunk of the plant.
