SCARLET BEAUTY® Virginia sweetspire is cultivated for its summer bloom, beautiful red fall foliage, and shade and moist soil adaptability. The white flowers are densely borne on droopy, 3" long inflorescences that are produced from mid-June to early July, when few other shrubs are in bloom. The flowers have a faint but pleasing fragrance. The deep orange-red fall foliage peaks in early November and lasts through a very hard frost. It grows to about 4 feet in height and width.

This shrub is a Chicagoland Grows® selection. Chicagoland Grows® is a plant introduction partnership of the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois formed to promote plant cultivars that perform well in northern Illinois. This variety is a selection from the collection of the Morton Arboretum and is notable for its cold hardiness for Zone 4.