Spicebush Quart

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a premier native deciduous shrub prized for its outstanding ecological value, spicy citrus aroma, and multi-season landscape appeal. Heralding the arrival of spring before leaves emerge, Spicebush covers its bare branches in clusters of fragrant, pale yellow-green flowers. Lush, oblong green leaves provide dense woodland screening through summer before igniting into brilliant golden-yellow in autumn. Highly celebrated as the primary host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, female plants also produce glossy, scarlet-red drupes in fall that fuel migrating songbirds, making it a cornerstone shrub for naturalized borders, rain gardens, and wildlife habitats.

Why Gardeners Choose Spicebush

• Vital wildlife & pollinator host: Serves as the essential larval host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail and promethea moth, while female shrubs yield high-energy red berries for songbirds.
• Early spring fragrance: Blooms in early spring with clusters of fragrant, yellow-green blossoms that provide vital early nectar for native bees.
• Aromatic crushed foliage: Leaves, twigs, and bark emit a pleasant, spicy lemon-allspice aroma when brushed against or bruised.
• Showy golden fall color: Crisp green summer foliage transitions into luminous butter-yellow and deep gold in autumn.
• Adaptable mature size: Reaches 6–12 feet tall and wide with a rounded, multi-stemmed habit, perfect for woodland margins and informal screens.
• Cold hardy and resilient: Fully hardy across USDA Hardiness Zones 4–9, enduring periodic wet soils and heavy shade with ease.

Planting & Care

• Light: Full sun to full shade; blooms most heavily and produces the densest growth in full sun to partial shade.
• Soil: Moist, rich, well-draining loamy soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH; adapts well to wet sites, low spots, and streambanks.
• Spacing: Plant on 4- to 6-foot centers for an informal native screen or hedgerow; space 8–10 feet apart for naturalized woodland specimens.
• Watering: Water deeply and consistently during the first two growing seasons; thrives with regular moisture and handles seasonal wet periods once established.
• Pruning: Minimal pruning required; prune immediately after flowering in late spring only to remove deadwood or maintain desired branch structure.

Shipping Information

Ships as healthy, well-rooted container-grown plants, carefully packaged and ready for immediate transplanting into naturalized borders, rain gardens, or woodland edges.