A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs variety, 'Aphrodite'.
Calycanthus 'Aphrodite' Sweetshrub is a sheer pleasure year-round. A deciduous shrub with fragrant bark to carry you through the winter season, it also sports apple-scented blooms and bright green foliage. A heavy rebloomer, it is ignored by nibbling deer, frequented by butterflies, and gifted with the largest and most beautiful blooms in the family. Truly a "must have".
At first glance, the flowers may remind you of Magnolias, held upright with beautifully incurved petals. Fully 4 inches wide, they are a rich wine-red shade, and superbly fragrant. Expect them to repeat all summer long, filling the sunny to partly shaded garden with a sweet aroma reminiscent of strawberries.
Very tolerant of heat and drought once established in the garden, this shrub reaches 7 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide, with a good upright, multistemmed habit. It thrives in sun in most areas, though it can tolerate some afternoon shade. Clay, sand, and other soil extremes are no problem for this shrub. The leaves reach 5 inches long and wide, keeping 'Aphrodite' handsome even when it isn't blooming.
Consider this shrub for use as a hedge, a foundation standout, or the back of the border. It is very low-maintenance, long-blooming, and lovely in every season. Highly recommended.
