Spice up garden with spicebush
Searching for a shrub that can perform one or a multitude of functions in your yard? Spicebush might be the shrub you have been looking for.
The multipurpose, versatile, spicebush (Lindera benzoin) can be planted as a hedge or border shrub; in shade or woodland gardens; moist areas along streams or ponds; in rain gardens, native plant gardens or in naturalized settings.
Named for the sweet, spicy fragrance when the twigs, leaves or fruit are crushed, spicebush is native to the eastern United States, including Western Pennsylvania.
Spicebush is a deciduous shrub that is generally fast growing. It forms a broad, rounded shrub or small tree from 6 to 12 feet high and 6 to 12 feet wide.
Spicebush in nature usually is found in the shady understory of woodlands; however, it can grow in a variety of light conditions, including full sun. If planted in a location with full sun, the growth will be denser and less vigorous, but with better flowering and fruit production.
Highly tolerant of a variety of soil conditions, spicebush is tolerant of clay as well as drought, although it prefers rich, moist soils. Therefore, if you have a wet area in your yard, a spicebush would be a good choice.Because spicebush has one of the earliest blooming periods, this shrub adds a hint of bright color in the dreary spring landscape. Clusters of fragrant yellow flowers bloom along the branches in March before the leaves appear. These blooms also lend themselves to another descriptive name: wild forsythia.If you are hoping to add colorful fall foliage, use the spicebush freely. The bright green oval leaves of summer turn golden yellow in the fall, adding beautiful autumn color to the landscape.As a native shrub, spicebush is an important food source for birds and wildlife. In the fall, the ripened red berries are food for resident and migrant birds, including the wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). Deer do not prefer to browse on spicebush.Spicebush has separate male and female plants and both bear flowers; however, the female is the only one to produce fruits. So, if your primary interest in spicebush is its benefit to wildlife, plant a grouping of three to five shrubs to ensure berry production.
Spicebush is also a host plant for the caterpillars of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus), the Promethea Moth (Callosamia promethea), also known as the Spicebush Moth, and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).A spicebush in your pollinator garden is an excellent way to attract these three pollinators. Visit extension.psu.edu to learn more about these butterflies and their spicebush as a native pollinator.In addition to providing three-season color to your yard and benefits to birds and wildlife, spicebush is a low-maintenance species that has no serious insect or disease problems. When searching for a shrub to add to your landscape, there are a multitude of reasons to add “spice” to your garden.If you have questions about spicebush and other native pollinator plants, call the Master Gardener Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.Mary Alice Koeneke is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener Butler County.
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