Common name: Spice Bush

Botanical name: Lindera benzoin

What it is: Spicebush is a native shrub common to the understory of natural wooded areas. It offers multiple seasons of interest as well as a hefty dose of wildlife value. It is the exclusive food source of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.

Size: Shrub grows 6 to 12 feet tall and wide.

Where to use: Use in part sun to shade. It looks great as a backdrop to a perennial border or underneath towering trees in a wooded area. Great to use when creating naturalistic native plant gardens. Prefers moist soils.

Why I like it: This shrub is not a one hit wonder. It doesn’t just stand there and look pretty. It performs by delighting multiple senses while providing food for birds and pollinators. When you invite this shrub into your garden, you also invite butterflies. And true to its name, spicebush offers up a pleasant but strong scent from crushed or bruised stems. It just doesn’t take a break. Yellow green flowers in early spring give way to bright green leaves in summer. The second act is flush of yellow fall color followed by a finale of red berries (on female plants) that birds will love.