Itea Virginica Henry's Garnet Sweetspire is a compact, rounded deciduous shrub with arching branches. It blooms with bottlebrush spikes of lightly fragrant, creamy-white flowers from mid-spring to early summer. The flowers are so plentiful that the shrub is completely covered in them. For a more permanent display, they open from the bottom up. The blossoms attract butterflies and other pollinators. In the fall, the oval, lustrous rich, to dark green leaves turn brilliant shades of rich red and purple and last all winter. Henry's Garnet Sweetspire thrives in full sun, partial shade, or full shade with average, medium to wet, slightly acidic, well-drained soil. This shrub can be used in beds, borders, hedges, and screens.