Henry's Garnet Sweetspire                   i-TE-a ver-JIN-i-ka

• Deciduous shrub, 4(6) ft (1.2 m) tall, greater spread, suckering, fall color outstanding, purplish red.  Flowers, small, white, abundant, in 15 cm long clusters (larger than species).
• Sun to light shade, tolerates deep shade, but is more dense, has more flowers, and better fall color in sun.  Best in moist, fertile soil.  Shear annually to maintain a neat appearance.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 5    A very popular selection from Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.  Garnet and gray are the college's colors and their nickname is Garnet.  Michael Dirr visited the Swarthmore campus one autumn and noticed Itea virginica plants with very showy red-burgundy foliage.  Later it was determined that these plants originated from seeds/seedlings which Josephine Henry brought to Pennsylvania from Georgia.  To recognize the supplier of the plants and college, the selection was named ‘Henry's Garnet’ (Dirr, 1998).
• Oregon State Univ. campus: Richardson Hall, northwest area.
• Covallis: along the Riverfront Park.