Spice Bush Seeds
(Lindera benzoin) Perennial. Zone 4 - 8.
Anyone who loves a well stocked spice cupboard will want this incredible plant in their garden. Every part of the Spicebush is intensely aromatic!
The leaves have a spicy fragrance when crushed and can be used fresh in hot or iced tea. The twigs can be simmered in water for a warming tea year round.
In Fall, the berries can be collected and dried to use as a culinary spice, which can be used in place of allspice in sweet and savory dishes - it makes a scrumptious spice cake! The peppery taste of Spicebush berries is also fabulous in meat rubs and marinades.
Don’t waste any time gathering the bright red berries - birds quickly snap up this high-fat food source! Spicebush attracts interesting visitors in summer, too, such as the larva of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, which feeds on the leaves.
Spicebush is a lovely, native woodland shrub that works well in a border, at the edge of a forest, or in naturalized areas. It prefers moist locations in part to full sun. It grows to ten feet with pretty, teardrop shaped leaves. Clusters of tiny, perfumed, greenish-yellow flowers bloom along the branches in early Spring before foliage appears. These flowers give way to bright red drupes in fall, while the leaves turn a yellow-bronze hue.
Female plants need a male pollinator to set fruit. Male shrubs have larger, showier flowers than female ones.
**60-80% germination**
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GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
**Refrigerate seeds IMMEDIATELY! Seeds will rot at room temperature**
For best result, sow seeds outdoors in Fall, mulch. Remove mulch in mid-Spring before germination. If starting indoors...
SEED PRETREATMENT: Soak seeds in water for 24 hours. Mix with moistened soil 4x seed volume. Place in a plastic bag.
STRATIFICATION: 30 days warm/moist (20°C), the top of your fridge is a good spot for this. Monitor for mold. Next, 120 days cold/moist (5°C), in your fridge is a good spot for this. Inspect periodically for even moisture and germination.
POST-STRATIFICATION: Sow stratified seeds 3/8” deep. Requires constant soil temperatures of 20°C for timely germination. Water evenly and regularly.
GERMINATION: Germination will generally occur in 30-45 days.
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Available direct from Incredible Seeds, a Canadian Heirloom and Heritage Seed Company, offering only the best natural, non-GMO, open pollinated and untreated seeds, located in Mi'kma'ki / Nova Scotia.
