Sixteen Candles Summersweet

Fragrant Summer Blooms
Pollinator Friendly Flowers
Golden Fall Color

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Grasshopper Gardens offers free home delivery to customers in our local service areas. Experience the convenience of having your plants delivered straight to your home, free of charge, saving you time and effort.

Our local delivery area reaches as far north as Schroon Lake, south to Voorheesville, Glenmont, and East Greenbush areas, parts of Fulton and Montgomery counties, much of Washington County, and all areas in between. If you have questions on local delivery, give us a call at

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Sixteen Candles Summersweet

Sunlight
Can grow in a range from full sun to partial shade. They need at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day.
Watering
Regular watering schedule for the first six months. Once established, rainwater should be sufficient.
Fertilizing
Should not need any extra fertilizer unless your entire lawn and garden have problems and needs regular fertilizing.

Sixteen Candles Summersweet

Sixteen Candles Summersweet is a fragrant native deciduous shrub with upright white summer flower spikes, glossy green foliage, and yellow fall color. Its compact habit and moisture-loving nature make it excellent for rain gardens, woodland edges, pollinator borders, and naturalized plantings.

Why choose Sixteen Candles Summersweet?

Choose Sixteen Candles Summersweet for late-season fragrance, pollinator value, and adaptable landscape use. This compact selection of summersweet produces showy bottlebrush-like white blooms in summer, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. It handles moist soil beautifully and fits into areas where many ornamental shrubs may not perform as well, including rain gardens and partially shaded borders. Its tidy rounded form, summer scent, and golden fall foliage make it a useful native-style shrub for both formal and naturalistic plantings.

Key Characteristics

Botanical Name: Clethra alnifolia ‘Sixteen Candles’
Common Name: Sixteen Candles summersweet
Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Growth Habit: Compact, rounded, suckering shrub

Sixteen Candles Summersweet Additional Information

Sixteen Candles Summersweet produces upright white flower spikes in mid to late summer, often filling the garden with a sweet fragrance at a time when many other shrubs are between bloom cycles. The flowers are valuable to pollinators, and the dense green foliage provides a lush backdrop through the growing season. In fall, the leaves typically shift to yellow tones, adding another layer of seasonal interest before the plant drops its foliage for winter.

This shrub is especially useful in moist, acidic, organically rich soils, though established plants can adapt to average garden conditions when moisture is steady. It may slowly spread by suckers in favorable sites, which makes it useful for naturalizing, erosion-prone edges, rain gardens, and informal groupings. Prune in late winter or early spring if shaping is needed, since summersweet blooms on new growth.

Planting & Care

1. Planting: Plant Sixteen Candles Summersweet in full sun to partial shade with moist, acidic, well-drained to damp soil enriched with compost or organic matter. Set the root ball level with the surrounding soil and water thoroughly after planting.

2. Watering: Keep soil consistently moist while the shrub establishes. Once rooted in, water during dry stretches, especially in sunny exposures, sandy soils, or sites that do not naturally hold moisture.

3. Mulching: Apply a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch around the root zone, keeping it slightly away from the stems. Mulch helps conserve soil moisture and keeps roots cooler during summer heat.

4. Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Remove dead or weak stems and lightly shape as needed, allowing room for its naturally rounded form and summer flower display.

Related Resources

FAQs

How big does Sixteen Candles Summersweet get?
Sixteen Candles Summersweet typically grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, depending on site conditions, moisture, and pruning.
When does Sixteen Candles Summersweet bloom?
It blooms in mid to late summer with fragrant white flower spikes, providing scent, color, and pollinator activity after many spring-flowering shrubs have finished.
Where should I plant Sixteen Candles Summersweet?
Plant it in moist borders, rain gardens, woodland edges, pollinator gardens, or near patios and walkways where its summer fragrance can be enjoyed.

Shipping Details

Estimated Shipping Time: Most orders ship immediately. As noted on the website, some items are seasonal, and may only ship in spring or fall. Once your order is shipped, you’ll receive an email with a tracking number.

Amount of Order	Shipping Charge
Local Delivery	FREE SHIPPING
Non-Local Delivery	Varies based on UPS shipping

Thrives
Partial Shade
Flowering

Mature Height	Medium: Up to 4 ft
Mature Spread	0-5 ft
Growth Rate	Moderate, Slow
Botanical Name	Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles'
Bloom Time	Mid Summer
Deer Resistant	Usually
Family	Clethracease
Flower Color	White
Hardiness Zones	4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Light Needs	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Maintenance	Medium
Size	#3 Container

Green map of the United States with state boundaries outlined in black, all states shaded in green, on a white background.

Growing Zones 3-9 Outdoors

(Hardy down to -40)

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