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Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice)

Eastern Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice, Sweet Shrub, Strawberry Shrub

Calycanthus Floridus, Eastern Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice, Sweet Shrub, Strawberry Shrub
Calycanthus Floridus, Eastern Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice, Sweet Shrub, Strawberry Shrub

Valued for the sweet, fruity fragrance of its flowers, Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice) is a dense, rounded, well-branched deciduous shrub boasting a profusion of dark red flowers, 2 in. wide (5 cm), somewhat resembling magnolia blossoms, from mid-spring to mid-summer. Rich with a wonderful fragrance, a mix of melons, strawberries, pineapples, and bananas, the blossoms are produced in abundance at the ends of short branchlets. They give way to urn-shaped fruits which mature to brown in fall and persist throughout the winter. The shiny foliage of dark green oval leaves, with gracefully and elegantly pointed tips and lighter gray-green underside, consistently turns an attractive golden-yellow in fall. Carolina Allspice is very resistant to disease and insect problems. It has a prolific suckering habit, adapts to many soils, and grows taller in shaded places.

  • Grows up to 6-10 ft. tall (180-300 cm) and 6-12 ft. wide (180-360 cm). Tends to spread by growing new shoots (suckers) along the outer edges of the clump.
  • A full sun or part shade lover, this plant is best grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Tolerates a wide range of soils, including clay soils, but prefers rich loams. Tolerates deeper shade but will not grow as well or flower as heavily. It prefers some shade in hot summer afternoons. Plants grown in full sun will be shorter than those grown in part shade.
  • Perfect as a specimen plant or in shrub borders, foundation plantings, woodlands, or naturalized areas. Plant it where you will be able to enjoy its perfume daily: near a doorway, along a path, near your patio or deck. Flowers are long-lasting on the shrub and also make good cut flowers. They can also be dried and added to potpourri.
  • No serious insect or disease problems. Deer resistant!
  • Prune after flowering to shape or maintain compactness. Remove root suckers promptly if naturalization is not desired.
  • Propagate by seed.
  • Native to the eastern United States.

Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 9
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Plant Type Shrubs
Plant Family Calycanthaceae
Genus Calycanthus
Common names Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height 6' - 10' (180cm - 3m)
Spread 6' - 12' (180cm - 3.7m)
Spacing 120" - 144" (3m - 3.7m)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Acid, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Native Plants United States, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky
Tolerance Deer, Clay Soil, Wet Soil
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Prairie and Meadow, Informal and Cottage
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Alternative Plants to Consider

Calycanthus ‘Venus’ (Sweetshrub)
Calycanthus x raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’ (Sweetshrub)
Calycanthus occidentalis (Californian Allspice)
Calycanthus chinensis (Chinese Sweetshrub)
Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet)
Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’ (Sweetshrub)

Recommended Companion Plants

Agarista populifolia (Florida Hobblebush)
Euonymus americanus (American Strawberry Bush)
Illicium floridanum (Florida Anise)
Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye)
Ulmus alata (Winged Elm)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Hamamelis virginiana (Virginian Witch Hazel)
Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)
Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry)
Oxydendrum arboreum (Sourwood)
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
Carya glabra (Pignut Hickory)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

35 Flowering Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun
40 Beautiful Native Shrubs for Shade
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
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Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 9
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Plant Type Shrubs
Plant Family Calycanthaceae
Genus Calycanthus
Common names Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height 6' - 10' (180cm - 3m)
Spread 6' - 12' (180cm - 3.7m)
Spacing 120" - 144" (3m - 3.7m)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Acid, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Native Plants United States, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky
Tolerance Deer, Clay Soil, Wet Soil
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Prairie and Meadow, Informal and Cottage
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Do I Need?
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