The plant can grow from three to eight feet depending on its location and functions well as either a border or specimen plant. It is native and is found in wet woods or swamps, although it will adapt to drier sites. Summersweet has bright shining leaves that contrast well with the white flowers in either full sun or partial shade. Its fall color is often yellow-orange. In very exposed sites, it may suffer some winter injury but stems will continue to come from the root to produce a plant up to fifteen feet tall.
Individual flowers are very small and are borne in clusters about an inch across all along the stem.
Selected cultivars produce flowers that range in color from white to reddish-violet. The fruit is an elongated, small pod that forms in clusters along the stem. For best results, the plant needs good soil and a protected site. Ural False Spirea grows in all areas of the state and generally gets about six feet high, but may reach up to ten feet in good locations. Its stout branches grow straight up with a slight arch to the end, and it is often the first plant to leaf out in spring.