Native Plants: Sweet Shrub or Carolina Allspice

Many gardeners gravitate to native plants and either grow natives exclusively or use more natives in their gardens than other types of plants. Many historical sites around the country also choose to grow native plants. [For example, see The Exchange Place: An Historical Attraction in Tennessee.] It is actually quite smart to grow native plants. They are well-adapted to your area, which means that they are generally hardier and less disease-prone. One such plant that is a native of North America, in particular the southeastern portion of the United States, is Calycanthus floridus, commonly known as sweet shrub or Carolina allspice.

Sweet shrub has come by its name honestly. The reddish-brown flowers bloom from spring into early summer and can fill your landscape with a delicious fruity fragrance. The blooms, about two inches in size, somewhat resemble water lilies. The oval, 2-5-inch-long leaves are also fragrant when crushed. (The rough-feeling leaves are a dark green on top and hairy, gray-green underneath during the growing season. In the late fall, the leaves turn a yellow-gold to a golden-brown. It is also at this time that the seeds begin to appear.) The flowers and leaves are not the only parts of this plant that are fragrant. The wood and bark are fragrant, as well, emitting a cinnamon aroma with broken.

Plant your sweet shrub in full sun to shade. (When purchasing a sweet shrub at a nursery or greenhouse, look for one already in bloom. The fragrance can vary, and you will be able to determine if the scent on any given bush is the one you want when you are able to smell the blooms.) Both balled-and-burlapped and container plants can be planted in either the spring or fall. Sweet shrub can tolerate most types of soils but prefers a site with rich, fertile, moist soil. It grows to be 7-12-feet-tall and just as wide; therefore, you need to space them at least 5 feet apart. They make a great shrub border or hedge, as well as working well in cottage gardens.

Little care is required. Prune after your sweet shrub has finished blooming and then only to shape it. (Blooms appear on both old and new wood, so pruning is a breeze.) You may have to dip up any unwanted suckers from time to time. You will not, however, have to worry about any pests or diseases.

There are other cultivars available, such as a hard-to-find creamy yellow-flowered variety. For a long-blooming, very fragrant specimen, choose 'Edith Wilder.'

References:

Roth, Susan. New Complete Guide to Gardening. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Books, 1997.

Tennessee Native Plant Society.