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, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 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.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.