Spicebush grows about 6 to 12 feet tall.
Spicebush care is straightforward; give it fertilizer twice a year and keep the soil moist.
Also commonly known as northern spicebush and Benjaminbush, spicebush is an aromatic shrub that has interest almost year-round.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
It is deciduous, losing its leaves in the fall.
Its 2 to 6-inch bright green leaves are alternating, with whitish coloring underneath them.
As its name suggests, spicebush leaves and twigs give off a spicy fragrance and flavor when crushed.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Its bark can pass for a mildcinnamonsubstitute when dried and crushed.
Although a spicebush benefit is its spicy characteristic, it is not widely commercially available.
Regardless, modern foragers use it in their recipes.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
As a native plant, it is not invasive or an aggressive grower.
Read on to learn how to grow spicebush in your garden and enjoy this showy shrub year-round.
It is adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Spicebush isdioecious, meaning male and female flowers are on separate plants.
Male spicebush grows clusters of yellow-green flowers in the spring.
When it’s not in bloom, spicebush leaves are deep green during summer and golden-yellow in fall.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Both plants are needed for female plants to be pollinated and produce berries.
Spicebush is a host plant for spicebush swallowtail butterflies whose larvae feed on it.
Spicebush swallowtails are not a spicebush pest since this bush is resilient to pests.
Light
Spicebush grows best infull sunto partial shade conditions.
The stems grow longer because the plant is trying to stretch its leaves toward the light.
Soil
Spicebush naturally grows in wetlands, thriving in moist, well-draining soils.
It tolerates bothalkalineandacidicsoils well.
Once established, spicebush usually does not require extra watering outside the regular rainfall in its growing zones.
Temperature and Humidity
Spicebush is native to the Americas and is hardy inUSDA zones4-9.
It grows rapidly in wet conditions and accepts humid conditions more readily than overly dry conditions.
Fertilizer
Spicebush should be fertilized twice during each growing season.
Fertilize in the early spring and then again in midsummer.
Use afertilizerspecifically formulated for deciduous shrubs for the best results.
The best time to prune spicebush is after the shrub has finished flowering in the spring.
It can be successfully grown from softwood cuttings, although successful propagation can be challenging.
Choose a piece of healthy stem 2 to 6 inches long with at least two leaves on end.
The softwood lies between the two.
Cut midway between both, on an angle.
The best time to take softwood cuttings for spicewood propagation is summer or fall (July through September).
Sow the seeds immediately after harvesting them in a pot or the garden bed.
Germination will occur in the spring of the following year.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Spicebush is usually resistant to pests and plant diseases.
It is a fungal disease caused byRaffaelea lauricola, affecting many laurel plants.
When infected, the plant’s leaves wilt suddenly, and the sapwood appears blackened, killing the plant.
Upon its discovery, pull it up and discard it to reduce its spread to other plants.
It resists pests and diseases and is a host plant for swallowtail butterflies that help pollinate this plant.
Its most significant threats are non-native diseases and pests.
It causes leaves to wilt suddenly and blackens the trunk and stems.
No cure exists for this disease.
Immediately pull up the plant and discard it.
Do not compost it.
Slow Growth
Spicebush prefers a sunny spot for flowering and thicker growth.
Also, keep the soil moist, or leaves will drop, leading to certain plant death.
Leaf Drop
Spicebush is a deciduous bush.
It will enter dormancy as the temperatures drop, losing its leaves in the late fall or early winter.
Spicebush grows 1 to 2 feet per year in optimal conditions.
If it is located in a heavy shade, expect a significantly slower rate.
Spicebush buses are either male or female.
Both have flowers; however, the female is the only one to produce fruits.
Cut back the large branches of the shrub occasionally to keep the spicebush small.
Voigt, Charles E. Elder and Other Native Herbal Shrubs and Trees.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, n.d. https://jhawkins54.typepad.com/files/voigt_herbal-uses-for-native-trees-and-shrubs.3.pdf.
Spicebush is also affected by laurel wilt disease.
