Summersweet has fragrant, tiny white flowers on 4-6 inch spikes appearing midsummer and continuing to bloom till the end of summer. It is a small native shrub and its fragrant flowers attract butterflies and beneficial pollinators. Plantings also help to control soil erosion and improve soil quality. Summersweet is compact, grows well in full shade, and prefers average, moist, sandy soil. It is also deer resistant.