Sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridus
Other Names:Â Carolina Allspice, Eastern Sweetshrub, Florida Spice Bush, Strawberry Shrub, Sweet Bettie, Sweet-Scented Shrub, Sweet Bubby, Bubby Blossom, Spicebush
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 4b-9b  Find Your ZoneÂ
Plant Type:Â Â Deciduous Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity:Â 6-8′
Width at Maturity:Â 6-8′
Spacing:Â Â 5-6′ for solid hedge; Â 16’+ for space between plants.
Growth Habit / Form:Â Upright, Broad, Bushy
Growth Rate:Â Fast
Flower Color: Â Burgundy
Flower Size:Â 1.5″
Flowering Period:Â Late Spring through Summer
Flower Type:Â Double
Fragrant Flowers:Â Yes, strawberry-scented
Foliage Color:Â Deep GreenÂ
Fragrant Foliage:Â No
Berries:Â Â No
Berry Color:Â NA
Sun Needs:Â Â Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening SunÂ
Water Needs:Â Â Average
Soil Type:Â Â Clay (amended), Loam, Sandy (amended), SiltÂ
Soil Moisture / Drainage:Â Well Drained Moist
Soil pH:Â 5.5 – 7.5 (Moderatly Acid to Slightly Alkaline)
Maintenance / Care:Â Very Low
Attracts:Â Visual Attention, Butterflies
Resistances:Â Deer –Â more info, Disease, Drought, Heat, Humidity, Insect
Other Common Names:Â Spice Bush, Carolina Allspice, Strawberry Bush, Bubby Bush, Sweet Betsy, Sweet Bubby and Sweet Booby
Description
A North American native flowering shrub that anyone can grow, Sweetshrub is adored for its wonderfully fragrant flowers. The distinctive maroon-red spider-like flowers are produced in abundance during spring through early summer and have a combined fragrance of strawberry, cantaloupe, spiced apple, and burgundy wine that is sure to please the soul.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, the Sweetshrub is ideal for use as a specimen, grouping, background or natural hedge in sunny to partially shaded landscape or flowering shrub and woodland borders. Sweetshrub is ideal for planting close to the house near a window or entryway where the fragrance may drift indoors. Plant additional plants by a favorite path or sitting area. A fine addition to cottage, red theme gardens, wildlife and North American native plant gardens.Â
Suggested Spacing:Â Â 5 to 6 feet apart for solid hedge; Â 16 feet or more for space between plants
Growing Preferences
Sweetshrub is exceptionally easy to grow in a most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and full sun to part shade. We’ve seen no serious insect or disease problems and plants are quite drought tolerant when established.Â
Note:Â Â Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tab above on desktop screens or below on mobile phones.Â
Plant Long & Prosper!
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Ordered this native in a 3 gal size along with two 1 gallon Aphrodite Allspice (not exactly native). Plant arrived in good shape with no damage and healthy leaves. Not nearly as full as the smaller Aphrodite but the root system was very robust in appearance. Looking forward to see how both versions progress through their first growing season. Wilson Bros has been a really pleasant surprise. They are very responsive and customer focused and the stock that I have purchased (about a dozen different shrubs in 3 separate orders) has been generally of excellent quality. I have ordered through other sites with very spotty results and support. Highly recommend.———————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
The sweet shrub was well packed, shipped quickly arrived in great shape and is doing well. It was a pleasure to do business with Wilson Bros. I will buy again and I do recommend them to all. I have used other companies and not had the success I had with this order and quality of the product. I would give 6 stars if I could.————————————————Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Saw this beautiful bush in a designer garden and had to have one. I searched the internet only to find that most were out of stock, only shipping in the fall, or very small and much pricier. This was the perfect size, and won’t be years until it’s established and blooms. Came nicely sized, lush green and healthy. Very happy that I have the summer to keep an eye on it and get it thriving. Thank you.—————————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
We received our shrub within just a few days of ordering. The plant is doing very well. We are looking forward to smelling g its fragrant blossoms.———————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Very pleased. Arrived well packaged and healthy. Would buy again.————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Plant is very healthy! Planting soon and so looking forward to the first bloom!——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Was so excited to get this. Had one of these at the home where I grew up. The flower smells so good. The plant was packed well. Although when arrived it didn’t have any flowers yet, but the leaves are green and healthy. I planted right away. Giving it some time to bloom but if I don’t get any buds this year, I have no doubt they will be there next spring.——————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I bought two of the Carolina Spice bushes and they arrived packaged well and looking good. One of them was already leafing out and had a couple of flowers on it but the other had nothing. I waited and the more days that went by the more I was starting to think I bought a dead bush. Twenty one days later it has started sprouting leaves and is doing well. Yay!!————————————-Yay! So happy it is okay! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My three plants arrived very healthy & very safely & securely packaged. Delivered when promised. These are large plants with healthy looking root systems. I planted them right away & they are coming out of dormancy. Will see how they grow in the future.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Hi Wilson Bros Gardens. I was pleased to recieve your email. I appreciate your concern for your product and customer..
I am happy to say I received my two Carolina Allspice plants in a timely manner. They were packaged well with no damage. They looked great. The best thing about the plants is they were a gift for my sister. We had one small shrub in our yard at our childhood home. It put off so much fragrant smell. So it was a nice pleasure for me to give her these to put in her own yard, Thank you and God bless.————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope your sister enjoys them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I am happy to say I received my two Carolina Allspice plants in a timely manner. They were packaged well with no damage. They looked great. The best thing about the plants is they were a gift for my sister. We had one small shrub in our yard at our childhood home. It put off so much fragrant smell. So it was a nice pleasure for me to give her these to put in her own yard, Thank you and God bless.————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope your sister enjoys them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Way bigger than I expected, beautiful plant, healthy and hardy. Super impressed with this company!!——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
100% pleased with this purchase, and I consider myself very picky. The plant is beautiful, healthy, and much larger than I expected.It was packed extremely well and did not lose even one small leaf! Will definitely order my plants from this company.——————————Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG
This plant arrived in perfect condition and very healthy. I planted it the day it arrived and it is doing well. Thanks for a beautiful plant!!——————————————–Hi Dona, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Sweetshrub – Carolina Allspice. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens





















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