Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Yellow flowers in February, spice-scented leaves, and fat-rich red berries that fuel fall migration. Sole host of the spicebush swallowtail.
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
First spring blooms for native bees, fattest fall berries for migrating birds, host plant for spicebush swallowtail. all in deep shade.
Spicebush is the native woodland shrub that works from February through November. The tiny yellow flowers open on bare stems in late February and March, one of the earliest blooms in the landscape, providing critical early-season nectar for native bees that emerge on the first warm days of late winter. Crush a leaf and you get an immediate clean, spicy, almost allspice fragrance that identifies this plant instantly. The bright red berries that ripen in September are almost 40% fat by weight: exactly what warblers, thrushes, and veeries need to fuel fall migration. It's the sole larval host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, one of the most beautiful butterflies in eastern North America. The caterpillars roll leaves into shelters and eat from within. If you find one, leave it. The fall foliage is clear, buttery yellow. Deer won't touch it. This is one of the highest-value native shrubs in the Mid-Atlantic landscape, full stop.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown spicebush 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.
Plant spicebush instead of Japanese spicebush (Lindera obtusiloba), which is not widely invasive but a common non-native substitute. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5–10 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- Bloom time
- February–March
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Maine to Florida, west to Kansas, primarily moist woodland understory
Care notes for spicebush.
Moist, rich, woodland soil in part to full shade. Tolerates full sun with consistent moisture. Plant male and female plants together for berry production. a ratio of one male per three females is ideal. Essentially maintenance-free in the right site. Mulch annually with leaves or wood chips. No pruning needed; let it develop its natural arching form.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside spicebush.
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