A mature open grown Spicebush tolerating seasonally saturated soil.
This short article was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - a most productive and adaptable shrub for wildlife native to the entire Eastern half of the U.S. Spicebush stands out among native shrubs in a various ways.
1. Their fruits are among the highest quality nutritionally, high in fats and protein.
2. Their blooms offer one the earliest sources of pollen and nectar.
3. Their shade tolerance is excellent, though they can adapt to full-sun with moderate soil moisture as well. They can also adapt to seasonally wet soils and acidic or alkaline PH.
4. Their fall color is consistently gold, and their form is beautiful without pruning efforts.
5. They are supremely resistant to deer grazing.
6. They host a few specialist insects, one being the Spicebush Swallow Tail (Papilio troilus) that uses plants in the Laurel family to host on.
7. Their fragrant foliage and stems and fruits can be used for a flavorful tea or seasoning applications.
Spicebush going into fall color in a well drained soil condition at a cemetery in full-sun.
Spicebush is highly adaptable. In regions that receive at least 38 inches of rain annually on average, they can be grown in full-sun especially in the lower midwest, mid-atlantic, mid-south, northeast, and upper midwest - where native. In these regions, they grow well out in open areas showing a moderate drought tolerance. The shrubs either produce male - pollen bearing flowers or female - nectar producing flowers. Most nursery’s will not have the sex of the shrub identified, so be sure to plant at least 3 to 5 to heighten the probability you get a mix of male and female flowering trees. Only the female flowering trees produce fruit.
Deeper into the south where temperatures are higher and growing seasons are longer, they establish best in seasonally saturated soil if grown in full-sun, or shadier conditions. If you’re trying to find a place in your yard for them in the Deep South, try the Northside, Eastside, or Westside of your home where they will receive shade for part of the day.
In historically bad droughts or severe droughts, simply set your sprinkler up on the spicebush and give 2 inches of water ever 14 days in which there isn’t 1” of rain fall. This is just watering twice a month during exceptional dry spells. While they should survive without this watering, the watering will increase growth rate and increase the size of the fruits for wildlife as well as the density of flowers for the following spring.
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How to Germinate Spicebush Seeds
To grow spicebush from seed, collect some red fruits in the late summer, burry them in a pot with a silty soil, and allow the soil microbes to break down the flesh of the fruit over the fall and winter. Leave this pot outdoors buried halfway underground so it is not subjected to the coldest winter temperatures. In early spring, strain the silty soil from the seeds by using a hose on a jet setting and a strainer; washing the silty soil away leaving only the seeds. Sow in early spring and expect germination by mid spring. Grow the seedings in full-sun or partial shade (either). Full-sun for the seedlings will result in larger seedlings than those grown in partial shade.
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