Sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridus
Maroon flowers that look almost tropical, and leaves that smell of strawberry, pineapple, and sweet wine when crushed. Handles dry shade.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
The most surprising fragrance in our entire shrub collection. that strawberry-spice-wine smell from both leaves and flowers is genuinely unforgettable.
Crush a leaf of sweetshrub and catch the scent: something between strawberry, pineapple, and sweet burgundy wine, with a green edge underneath. It's one of the most complex, unexpected fragrances in the entire native plant world, and it comes from the leaves as much as the flowers. The dark maroon-brown flowers that open in late spring add another layer: they look almost tropical, like something from a rainforest rather than the Virginia piedmont. Sweetshrub grows as a wide-spreading rounded shrub for shade gardens and woodland edges. It spreads slowly by suckers to form relaxed colonies, works beautifully massed under large trees, and tolerates drier shade conditions that challenge most plants. Essentially pest-free and very deer-resistant.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown sweetshrub propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5–8 ft · 5–8 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Mar, late spring
- Bloom color
- Maroon
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Calycanthaceae
- Native range
- Southeastern United States
Care notes for sweetshrub.
Part shade to full shade in average to moist, well-drained soil. More adaptable than it looks. tolerates dry shade and clay better than most flowering shrubs. Prune lightly after bloom to shape; remove older stems every few years to rejuvenate. Spreads by root suckers. No serious pests or diseases.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside sweetshrub.
Or skip the guesswork.
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