SWEETSHRUB
Some shrubs are useful but annoying. Privet falls into that category, especially when massed into a hedge. In my experience, the top and sides of a privet hedge need trimming every other week during the growing season and the base is invariably full of noxious weeds. Privet and poison ivy, for example, go together like ATM’s and transaction fees.
If, for whatever reason, you have such useful but annoying shrubs in your garden, you should make a point of compensating for them by giving equal space to worthy shrubs that offer nothing but pleasure. Calycanthus floridus or sweetshrub is one of those plants.
If you saw Calycanthus floridus out of flower, you would probably walk right by it. A medium-size shrub, it grows to about six feet-tall, with elongated oval-shaped leaves that run up and down the stems in opposed pairs. Those leaves are aromatic when crushed, which is about the most complimentary thing you can say about them. They turn yellow in the fall before departing for the winter, but the fall color is not particularly exciting.
What is so great about calycanthus? The flowers–or, more accurately, the flowers’ fragrance. On an average, everyday sweetshrub, the flowers, which appear in early summer, are about two inches wide and mahogany to reddish brown to dark red. The shape is somewhat reminiscent of a spidery water lily. The flowers appear a bit disorganized, with half of the narrow petals curving back towards the stem and half standing erect as if guarding some treasure in the blossom’s center. The growing popularity of sweetshrub is predicated mostly on the fruity or spicy aroma exuded by the flowers. Some sources liken the scent to strawberries or pineapples. Southerners sometimes call Calycanthus floridus “Carolina allspice,” possibly an allusion to the scent, which my nose perceives as spicy. Noses differ of course, and “Carolina allspice” might just as easily refer to the shrub’s fruits. Depending on your point of view, the fruits look a little like brown rose hips or, possibly, allspice berries.
Southerners tend to reward their favorite things with evocative nicknames and Calycanthus floridus is no exception. In addition to sweetshrub, the species is known as “bubby blossom,” “spicebush,” “strawberry shrub,” “sweet bubby,” “sweet Betsy” and “Sweet Bettie.” Breeders have not toyed with the species too much–yet–but there are several cultivars available. ‘Athens’ sports yellow flowers instead of the usual brownish red, while Michael Lindsey has a more rounded habit and flowers that lean more towards the red end of the spectrum. ‘Edith Wilder’ grows up to ten feet tall, with mahogany blooms and leaves that are more rounded than those of other varieties.
Being a competitive suburban gardener, I recently acquired the latest thing in the calycanthus world, a new hybrid called ‘Venus’. Bred by Dr. Tom Ranney at North Carolina State University, ‘Venus’ has large white flowers, which the advertising copywriters call “magnolia-like”. The picture on the plant tag backs that up. Unlike Venus in Botticelli’s famous painting, ‘Venus’, the calycanthus, does not rise up from a giant shell. It does, however, rise to about five or six feet tall and is reputed to have the same heady fragrance as other calycanthus.
‘Venus’ is the result of many crosses among existing calycanthus species and relatives, including Calycanthus floridus; Calycanthus occidentalis or California calycanthus and Sinocalycanthus, a Chinese shrub.
Shade gardeners who have read this far are undoubtedly wondering if any of the calycanthus can be grown under shady conditions. The answer is yes, but with qualifications. In the wild, calycanthus is an understory shrub that grows at the edges of forests and sometimes along stream banks. Therefore, it can take light shade, but will flower better with more light. Given those parameters, I would save the sunniest spaces for the roses and install the calycanthus where it will get sun for part of the day.
Native plant enthusiasts can install sweetshrub without guilt pangs because it is native to the American southeast. While it does not draw butterflies, it does attract other pollinating insects, making it a valued contributor to garden ecosystems. If it is happy, it will increase in size by putting out root suckers or shoots that arise from underground roots. If you like that idea–fine–if not, it’s very easy to clip off the unwanted shoots. Calycanthus cultivars, except for ‘Venus’, may be hard to find in local garden centers. Many varieties are available from Woodlanders, Inc., 1128 Colleton Avenue
Aiken, SC 29801, (803) 648-7522, www.woodlanders.net. There is no paper catalog, but you can download an order form from the website. Also try Fairweather Gardens, P.O. Box 330, Greenwich, NJ 08323, (856) 451-6261, www.fairweathergardens.com. Catalog $5.00.