# Virginia Sweetspire



## John Combs (Nov 2, 2018)

Is Virginia sweetspire a good honey crop producer


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## Boondocks (Sep 16, 2020)

I have a couple plants here in Georgia. I think sweetspire blooms at the same time as the flowering trees so the bees really never use them. I see butterflies and small bees on them but not honeybees. I think they are too busy with the pears, peaches, plums, apples, cherries, privet, etc.
Apparently it does feed bees:
"Virginia sweetspire is an upright or mounded, thickly branched, deciduous shrub with gracefully arching branches. It provides nesting and shelter for wildlife as well as food for bees, butterflies and moths. In the urban landscape, this mid-sized shrub grows 3 to 5 feet tall and has a spreading growth habit. In the wild, it may grow taller and leggier, particularly in moist or shaded sites.

This shrub has three seasons of interest. In late May and June, it is covered in a blanket of 5 to 6 inches long, white, sweetly scented, catkin-like “spires” (thus, the plant’s common name). Lasting for several weeks, the fragrant and graceful flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies. Depending on the cultivar, the blossoms may either be held upright or cascade gracefully over the foliage. The flowers are produced on last year’s growth (old wood)."





Virginia Sweetspire | Piedmont Master Gardeners







piedmontmastergardeners.org


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