The Perennial Shrub Perfect For Borders That's Deer-Resistant & Attracts Butterflies

If you're set on creating the perfect border for your yard or walkway, it's hard to go wrong with Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica). During early summer, the gracefully arching shrub is covered with gently drooping spires of white flowers. These creamy bottlebrush clusters are prized for their ability to attract a variety of butterflies and other pollinators. In autumn, Virginia sweetspire's oval leaves boast rich shades of gold, red, and orange. And to top it off, the shrubs offer a deer-resistant way to landscape your garden!

As a border plant, Virginia sweetspire has a graceful drama all its own. With a height and spread of up to 8 feet, depending on the variety, the perennial shrub's semi-evergreen branches arch delicately onto pathways. A row of sweetspires softens fencelines and foundations. This perennial, which thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9, also makes an ethereal back border for a cottage or wildflower garden.

Virginia sweetspire will fill your garden with butterflies in part because it produces an abundance of nectar. Depending on your region, expect to see your sweetspire border swarming with zebra swallowtail, red admiral, and American lady butterflies, among others. To invite even more butterfly species, consider underplanting Virginia sweetspire with perennials such as butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), or downy phlox (Phlox pilosa). 

Garden borders can become genuine statement pieces when they comprise graceful, fragrant Virginia sweetspire. When setting out your border, keep in mind that the shrub often grows at least as wide as it is tall. The perennial spreads by suckers that grow sideways. Nurseries offering sweetspire will often state a range in their spacing recommendations, based on a variety's height and spread. Consider using the upper limit of that range to allow the bush to eventually fill in the space. Depending on the sweetspire variety, it could be as tall as 8 feet or as compact as 2 feet or under, with an average of 3 to 5 feet.

Set your perennial border where the Virginia sweetspire shrubs will receive partial shade or dappled sunlight. Make sure the soil contains plenty of organic matter, such as compost. The shrubs will tolerate wet conditions, making them ideal for rain gardens or for anchoring an eroding, damp slope. Not only do deer usually turn up their noses at Virginia sweetspire, but the shrub is also fire and drought resistant.

If you have highly specific preferences for your fragrant, butterfly-attracting border, there are several cultivars of Virginia sweetspire from which you can choose. Heights range from the 18-inch 'Shirley's Compact' to the 6-foot 'Sarah's Eve.' For extra fragrance, consider 'Scentlandia.' Fall colors are especially striking on the sweetspire cultivars 'Merlot' and 'Henry's Garnet.' If you'd prefer upward-pointing spires on a compact frame, opt for 'Fizzy Mizzy.'