Few native shrubs are as versatile and fragrant as Clethra alnifolia, commonly called Sweet Pepperbush or Summersweet. Introduced into cultivation in the early 1700s by American botanists, Clethra alnifolia was also planted at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson in the 1750s. While the popularity of Clethra alnifolia has steadily grown through the centuries, its reputation is skyrocketing now as more gardeners appreciate it as a pretty, scented, compact, and low-maintenance flo