"An attractive deciduous shrub with showy fragrant flowers and good fall leaf color, showing their fall colors even at the beginning of winter. While this plant prefers full sun to partial shade, it can also grow in shade.

"This plant can be used in many places in the garden including around a pond since it does not mind wet soil as long as the soil is well-drained.'

"Prefers moist, rich, slightly acidic humusy soils in partial sun to partial shade, but tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and pHs. Best flowering occurs with 4 hours of sun per day. It can form dense colonies by root suckering and can be used for erosion control in wet areas or on wet banks. This plant blooms on previous season's wood, so pruning should be done after flowering. Use en masse for spectacular spring flowers." (North Carolina Extension)

Itea in landscape

Flowers being pollinated by bee

Covers 

1. "Flowers and leaves in summer" in Moore County by Susan Strine is licensed under CC BY 2.0
   
2. "Photograph of the leaves of the Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet')" By Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) - Own work, 9 September 2006, Photo taken at the Tyler Arboretum, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1208133
3. "Flowering branch of Itea virginica" By I, SB Johnny, 16 June 2007, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2250064

"Flowers being pollinated by bee": "Flowers" by Wouter Hagens is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

"Itea in landscape": "Full form (Buncombe County, NC)" by Randy Harter is licensed under CC BY 4.0