Clethra tomentosa Cottondale - Sweet pepperbush

The Clethra tomentosa 'Cottondale' is a deciduous bush with a semi-suckering stump, native to the humid forests and marshy areas of Florida. This variety develops woolly leaves covered in small white hairs, giving them a pleasant grey-green hue. The fragrant white flowers are produced in late summer on long racemes. The autumn foliage colour ranges from pale yellow to golden brown before falling. It is a hardy plant in zone 7, down to -15°C, for humus-bearing, non-limestone, moist to wet soils. It thrives in the same conditions as rhododendrons and autumn camellias, with which it forms beautiful combinations.

The Clethra tomentosa is a deciduous shrub native to damp woods, marshes, wet marshes, and riverbanks, often on sandy soils, in the southeastern United States, from North Carolina to Florida, west to Louisiana. It is a rounded, suckering, densely branched bush. The young shoots and the surface of the young leaves are woolly or tomentose, but also shiny. It is known for its highly fragrant white flowers that appear in narrow, drooping panicles. Each inflorescence consists of 2 to 4 flowering racemes. The flowers give way to dark brown seed capsules that can persist until winter. Mature stems have a scaly bark, dark grey to blackish brown. The dark green, glossy, obovate to oblong, toothed leaves take on various shades, but generally attractive shades of yellow to golden brown in autumn. The flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees.

The 'Cottondale' cultivar forms a bush about 2 to 3 m in all directions. It stands out from the species with larger leaves and increased vigor. The 40 to 50 cm long flower spikes elongate throughout the summer before blooming between September and October. They are composed of multiple small, bell-shaped, white, fuzzy, and fragrant flowers. They bloom from the base to the top of the inflorescence. Their honey scent attracts many pollinating insects. The flowers are followed by small round fruits, gathered in slender clusters, which remain decorative on the branches in winter if they escape the appetite of birds.

The Clethra tomentosa 'Cottondale' will only thrive in light, never drying out, acidic soils in semi-shaded conditions. It is ideal in ericaceous flower beds or at the base of large deciduous trees, provided the soil remains moist in summer. For example, combine it with small rhododendrons with mauve, white, or pink flowers, camellias, mountain laurels, and winter-flowering heathers that will take over after its flowering. As it tolerates container cultivation with regular watering, use it to adorn a terrace or patio. It is advisable to quickly remove suckers if you do not want the plant to take over.