Lindera benzoin | spicebush

Regular price: $8.99
Regular price
Sale price: $8.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

4" pot

order now for FALL 2025 shipping or pickup

Grown from seed in living soil without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or carbon fuels.

Spicebush is an eastern North American native shrub that lights up the woodland when it blooms in early spring. The spicy fragrance of the flowers gives the plant its common name. Red berries and golden fall foliage are equally stunning.

It is a host plant to the adorable Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar and the berries are an important food source to many native birds.

Grow it in full sun if you have moisture retentive soil. Plants will have the best fall color in full sun. Grow it in the woodland if your soil is on the drier side. It will develop a more open habit.

Zones: 3 to 9
Family: Laurelaceae
Type: tree/shrub
Height: 6 to 12 ft.
Spread: 6 to 12 ft.
Exposure: part shade
Soil: average, medium, well-drained
Bloom Time: March
Native Range: central and eastern United States

Special Characteristics

Juglone tolerant
Fragrant
Edible
Flowering

image credits

@ The Old Dairy Nursery
Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dan Keck from Ohio, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
John Flannery from Richmond County, North Carolina, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ordering information

Preorders

You may place your order anytime to reserve plants for fall 2025 shipment. If you place multiple orders, we will combine plants into one box (or as many as needed) and any extra shipping charges will be refunded.

We will resume shipping plants as soon as temperatures cool in our location and yours.

We will check in with you a week before shipping to make sure you receive your plants at a time that is convenient for you.

Shipping

Live plants ship in spring and fall only. Plants may ship dormant, depending on variety and season. Shipping costs are most reasonable when bundling like size plants.

4-inch: 1-6 plants ship for $15.00 / 7-13 plants ship for $18.00 / 14-30 plants ship for $40.00
1-gal: 1-2 plants ship for $18.00 / 3-4 plants ship for $25.00 / 5-6 plants ship for $40.00
trees & shrubs: $27.00-$40.00 each, height dependent
seeds: $6.75 or free with orders over $15.00

We regret that we cannot ship internationally or to the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, or WA.

Nursery pick up

Plants can be collected from the nursery Monday through Sunday from 10am-4pm in Spring, Summer, and Fall. We prefer 24 hour notice to get your order together and will email you when ready for collection.

Plant Sizes

We most commonly use the following pot sizes for perennials:

4-inch pot: 3.5" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2-quart pot: 6" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D
1-gallon pot: 6.87" H x 8" Dia (this is a true one gallon pot, not the smaller 'trade' one gallon pot used by many nurseries)

Check out our illustrated pot size guide here.

Representative trees & shrubs are photographed in their pots and posted on each plant page.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at The Old Dairy. We grow all of our plants outdoors without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuels, or peat.

Many of our perennials are grown in the ground and dug upon order (this is especially true for larger sizes). This practice allows us to grow stronger, healthier plants using native soil, and ultimately reduces our impact on the environment.

Our open-pollinated seeds are collected from plants in our mother beds, which have never been treated with chemicals or sprays of any kind.

Read all about our sustainable practices here.