A Guide to Training Shrubs into Beautiful Hedges

Carolina Allspice

Carolina Allspice blooms delight the senses, emitting a sweet and spicy fragrance reminiscent of ripe strawberries, which adds a delightful ambiance to any outdoor space. The maroon to brown blooms are eye-catching and long-lasting, ensuring a beautiful display throughout the growing season. It is a captivating and versatile plant with numerous landscaping benefits. Native to the southeastern United States, it is cherished for its unique characteristics and aesthetic appeal, making it a famous choice landscape. Carolina Allspice Carolina Allspice, formally named Calycanthus floridus, is a rounded deciduous shrub that grows in the eastern United States. It's often called sweetshrub in honor of its fragrant deep-red blooms, which are said to carry the scents of strawberry, pineapple, and banana. The shrub adapts to a variety of settings and grows taller in shady areas. Habitat Of Carolina Allspice It is native to the Southeast. In the wild, it grows along streambanks, in shady woodlands, and in mixed deciduous forests. When you find this understory shrub on hillsides, in clearings, and by woodland edges, its structure is likely to be open and sparse. Appearance Of Carolina Allspice In cultivated settings, it grows six to nine feet tall and equally wide. From April to May, the plant produces a bountiful supply of large, solitary, magnolia-like blooms at the ends of its branches. These clustered, maroon to reddish-brown flowers will continue to appear, somewhat less frequently, into June and July. As the weather warms, the blossoms become quite fragrant. The plant itself is aromatic and dense. Its dark, oval-shaped green leaves and smooth grayish-brown bark emit a pleasant scent when scratched or bruised. The plant's glossy foliage will turn yellow to yellow-green in the fall as the flowers yield to form leathery, brown, urn-shaped seed capsules. These pods ripen in September and October and last through the winter, and they emit a lovely fragrance when crushed. Transform Your Garden With Carolina Allspice They make beautiful all-season additions to a variety of garden settings. They are especially beautiful when planted near outdoor living spaces, walkways, patios, and entrances, where they can serve as privacy screens. The shrub also does well in naturalistic settings, like woodland gardens, and it makes a lovely cutting plant for flower arrangements. Ecology Of Carolina Allspice Its closely packed branches provide nesting habitat and protective cover for songbirds and small mammals. They also host moths, such as the double-banded zale and the oblique-banded leafroller moth. During the spring and summer, beetles pollinate the shrubs in a process called cantharophily. If you're looking for fragrant, floral shrubs that will add richness and depth to your garden, consider planting them. With their gorgeous blossoms and lush green leaves, you're sure to be delighted by their presence.

Northern Spice Bush

Northern Spice Bush is a deciduous shrub with aromatic, green leaves, clusters of small yellow flowers, and red berries, often attracting wildlife and providing a splash of color in woodland areas. They bring many benefits when thoughtfully integrated into landscaping designs, making them a valuable and ecologically significant addition to outdoor spaces. The Northern Spice Bush is popular with gardeners and landscapers because of its pleasant scent. It's often simply referred to as the spicebush or wild allspice. Its botanical name is Lindera Benzoin, and it's part of the Laural or Lauraceae family, which includes the bay laurel, California laurel, cassia, and avocado plants. It's native to eastern North America and can be found in Maine and New York. However, it can also be found as far south as Florida and southwest into Texas and Arkansas. Characteristics of Northern Spice Bush It is revered by gardeners for its aromatic leaves and flowers, which have a distinct scent when crushed. This deciduous shrub typically grows up to 15 feet tall and wide but can sometimes reach heights of 20 feet. Gardeners can expect it to develop flowers from March through May and produce red berries from late summer through October. The leaves are green in the summer and change color in the fall. The leaves typically reach lengths of between two and six inches. Attracting Wildlife with Northern Spice Bush Gardeners who are looking to spice up their wildlife viewing opportunities will love planting them. This shrub is known to attract all manner of birds, bees, and small mammals. The bees are attracted to the flowers, and birds, especially the very wood thrush, are drawn to its berries. This shrub also attracts squirrels and butterflies. Best Spots to Place Northern Spice Bush in Your Yard Since the shrub can grow up to 15 feet high and wide, it's best to plant it in open areas. It looks best as the focal point of a shade garden or rain garden or along the perimeter of front and backyards. Fantastic Companion Plants for the Northern Spice Bush The shrub can be successfully planted next to several types of perennials, including grape hyacinth and monkshood. Gardeners can plant blue spruce and deep green hemlock next to Lindera Benzoin, and the shrub does well around dogwood and red vein dianthus. The shrub is a great plant for most gardens. It thrives next to other trees and shrubs and makes a statement with its signature scent.