PlantFiles: Virginia Sweetspire, Gooseberry, Itea
Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'

I think I have this plant growing wild on my property. It may be something else. Most are in full sun, but some are in a shady moist area and these are huge, almost like trees. These have been here a long time.
Towards fall the racemes the flowers were on get very tiny green berries that turn brown and fall to the ground. I see the fall pictures but don't see any of these seed racemes on them. We mowed a lot of these down when we bought the property but haven't mowed them since. They are growing like crazy and are four feet tall in two years. Could this be something else? I would send pics but right now they don't look like much. They are just starting to get buds.

I've grown this plant for several years in Buckfield, Maine (zone 5a now) in light shade and moist soil and it did very well with little suckering so far. A great three season selection of a native plant; incidentally not closely related to Ribes, despite the common name Gooseberry. I've recently moved and already have one on order for the new garden.

Gorgous blooms in late May. Mine gets 3-4 hours sunlight, clay soil. Starting to send out runners, but they are easily trimmed out of the ground to control spread.

I have this plant in my back yard (wood edge, light shade, moist, well-drained soil) and it has done very well. I have expanded my front garden, which gets sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon, and has drier and more clay-ey soil, but I am going to try another Henry Garnet there. Love the fragrance and the fall color!

This is a native plant to the Eastern US, where the genus Ribes has been cultivated as a food crop from at least colonial times. I remember my Great-grandmother having several rows of gooseberries. But those were always Ribes of whatever species. Generally geooseberries are Ribes with fruit much larger than currants and colored green, gold or blush pink. I know how varied common names are, but this one confuses me bcause sweetspires are native and gooseberries are very traditional and common.

This plant has been very easy to grow in fairly good shade. In my area depending on soil it can take on some yellowing from high ph soils but is easily correctible. Mine has established very well in one year and has grown quite quickly in its second year. Henry's Garnet is very handsome in leaf and in flower. It has very nice fall coloration too. I have noticed one of my branches has developed a mutation that the leaves are now variegated. They are mottled in different patterns green, creme, and white. When the summer gets warmer some light rose shading occurs on these leaves as well.

This plant has fragrant attractive racemes of white flowers in mid-Summer, followed by green berries which turn brownish purple.

If given moist soil, it will sucker vigorously, and may spread beyond where it was intended. Provide adequate water, but do not keep constantly moist to help check its growth.