I just received seed for a North American tree/shrub called Clethra Acuminata or Cinnamon Clethra. With its fragrant mid summer flowers and easy germination, it sounds nice. Other opinions talk about the suckering and loose ungainly look.
Does anyone know what they are like in urban cultivation?
It is a good shrub in urban conditions, and the ones I have seen have been growing in very adverse conditions. They do not sucker as much when grown as an upright shrub as when they are grown as trees. The loose ungainly look comes from low fertility, low light, and improper pruning. Given good care, they make attractive specimens. If you already have the seed, then I would say go ahead and plant them.
