Clethra barbinervis 'Takeda Nishiki', Japanese Clethra

Found on Shiko Island, Japan by Takeda Hisayoshi and son, this variation on the lovely and trouble-free Clethra theme has extreme pink, white, and green variegation in spring. By midsummer, the leaves turn green to form the backdrop for beautifully arching and lightly fragrant spikes of white in July and August. With age, marvelous bark develops—polished mahogany-red dramatically mottled with white, an impressionist's palette in spring, and in fall, exciting beneath golden leaves. Butterflies delight in it, too. Mature size: 6 feet T & W in 10 yrs; possibly larger with time. Minimum temperature: -20° F