@@growitbuildit I have seen all the time bushes or shrubs in the woods and along trails that have round red berries and other that have round orange berries do you know what those are?thanks
Subscribed! Just found your channel and started binge watching 🙂 Amazing content, thank you!. I'm new to native gardening and planted 5 spicebush last month, young plants, single stem about 10 inches tall. Four of them are doing well, one of them the leaves are turning yellow. Maybe just stressed as they are all planted next to each other in the same conditions and receiving the same care - full sun, clay soil. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos to learn more.
I appreciate your encyclopedia of invaluable knowledge and observations!! I just gathered some berries, leaves, twigs and froze the berries. Im 55 yo and first time collecting from the spicebush. I’m going to be throwing the twigs and berries in my homemade root beer. I’m using a sweet potato kvass starter culture for my black birch / spicebush twigs for a homemade soda. I used organic coconut palm sugar and only put 2 tbsp for a quart. I was surprised how sweet. But unbeknownst to me is the stronger flavor from the severe drought in Little Mahanoy PA for 2024. Thanks about addressing the cold stratification requirement details with being observant with pots being too light and adding water. Also caging up the young trees so the rabbits do not damage as well as the deer. I like the peppery and spicy culinary perspectives. Make homemade root beer and be sure to add sassafras root, black birch for strong wintergreen flavors, sarsaparilla root. I cannot wait to make my 3rd batch of homemade root beer. You can make healthy probiotic rich sodas using a starter fermentation culture . I’ve made banana soda, peach soda, red raspberry, wineberry, ginger ale all taste amazing. If you want the carbonation this is one way to do it. It looks cool watching the bubbles ferment.
Thank you - I'm glad you found my video helpful. That sounds cool making your own root beer. The only thing I've fermented is cabbage and beets, and I definitely enjoy them. But have never tried kvass.
Idk how you do it. I was just reading about these because of my growing interest in planting a butterfly garden but didn’t find any resources that really broke the plant down like you do. The homie strikes again. Thank you!!
That you! I collected a few seeds a few weeks ago, had saved them in the fridge with no idea what the best way to germinate was. Now I know I was fine going down the lazy path!
Incredible! Learned about thsi bush this year and a loving it. I've had enough of non-native plants and monocultures of plants that don't host anything. You have totally inspired me. Thank you.
Do you prune these bushes? I started to prune a neighbors this week and it didn't feel right. No sure it really needs it? Thanks again. @@growitbuildit
@@GoldenLife-uq2ms You can prune them in late Winter before they flower. This will allow you to shape it how you like. It isn't necessary, but is just a preference. The only thing I will always prune is if two branches are rubbing together.
Thanks for posting this! We have one male that seems to be thriving along our creekbank... need to find a few females to plant nearby. Love this shrub.
Very informative and well put-together profile. A very delicious spicebush drink is made from the dead twigs on the bush that need pruning. It tastes remarkably like a coke or pepsi with a very complex and absolutely delicious flavor profile. Break the dead branches up until you have enough twigs to fill a jar of whatever size. Fill the jar with water and cold-infuse by putting the jar, closed, into the refrigerator 12-24 hours. Pour the water out and enjoy. I have also done this as a sun tea but prefer the gentler infusion. This is a Native American "recipe" I learned from David Welker, a naturalist in Virginia at the Blue Heron Outdoor School.
I'm really hoping to plant some of these on my property, so thank you for the video! They grow all around the woods in my area (southern Ontario) and the berries are super interesting IMO. It's surprisingly hard to find info on them as a landscaping plant so I appreciate you showing what it looks like when grown in full sun. 😁
Thank you Kimbles - I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it. It really is versatile in landscaping. Really easy to grow as long as you can keep the deer/rabbits away for a few years.
Man, you have a good channel. I live in Pa. and probably seen this bush a million times over the years and never knew what it was. I grow schisandra berry vines, and the berries have what they call a 5 spice flavor, which is very distinct. I put them in baked goods, teas, etc., but never thought about the cocktail thing. Not sure what they would do, but I think I may throw some in my next gin and tonic !!
Thank you! I'm very happy you are enjoying my videos. I'm with you when I you say you walked by this bush for years without knowing what it was - I was in the same boat. But that sounds like a cool berry you are growing. You should have no trouble trying to forage a lot of spicebush in late Summer, I could fill lots of zip-lock bags with them.
@@growitbuildit if you are curious what I grew it is this: www.logees.com/schisandra-eastern-princetm-schisandra-chinensis.html If you grow any, they are usually a good vine for a trellis or pergola or arbor.
Great video.. I planted one in my front yard. The deer are leaving it alone. I think I am a little far north in mid- michigan but it sure would be nice to get a to get a swallowtail butterfly here
Loved your video. We have 3 spicebushes. Two are female and one is small and hasn't flowered yet. we know there are male spicebush somewhere nearby as we have berries every year. we are going to try germinating some of our seeds as per your directions and will also try some culinary uses. THANK YOU SOOO much. this video was quite helpful.
That is awesome that you have two females, so plenty of berries for birds and yourself. Good luck getting some to germinate, and thank you for the kind words. I'm very happy you enjoyed the video!
Thank you, happy to hear I wouldn't need a male/female to attract the caterpillars. I may have to take a walk in the forest to see if a spot a spicebush, great information, thank you.
Hahaha - I always thought it might make an interesting flavor cocktail. It wasn't for me, but it was fun trying. It really does taste good as a dry rub though.
Nice video I found this video because I'm wanting to make a insect repellent with spice bush but I don't think anyone has tried that yet. In the Ozarks we make paw paw bread with fresh spice berries, I just use a banana bread recipe
Thank you for the tip - I don't really know much about mixed drinks outside of really basic stuff. But I would think you could certainly use this in them.
Thank you Martin. I have not tried cuttings on Spicebush. However, I have read that other people have, with success. That would be one way to guarantee a female plant.
I see you have your Spice Bush relatively close to the house. I going to be buying some seeds and thinking,where in my landscape I should plant my spice bush? I've seen recommendations to plant them near walkways, near patios or decks because of their nice smell. Im assuming there are no concerns with a crazy root system? Great video again. Really enjoyed your thoughtful and methodical approach. Subscribed.👍👍
Hi - they don't spread via rhizomes or anything like that. So where ever you place it, you will have a single shrub. They prune easy, and can be shaped each year if you like. I would suggest that you grow 1.5-2 times as many plants as you think you want (initially), then hopefully you will get some females, and can remove excess plants.
Hi Andy - in late Spring I will determine how many of each I want, and then separate seedlings/pot-up into larger containers to grow until Fall. Then in late Summer early Fall, I will start planting like mad. It's easier to transplant lots of seedlings then, as you normally don't have to worry about watering anything. The cold temps mean there isn't really a heat demand, thus the plant doesn't use much water. But I also have a colleague at work who is reforesting his property. So when I grow a ton of trees, he usually wants them. In fact that is where most of my Pawpaws, Persimmon, and Spicebush went this year.
Thank you for sharing - I have never personally tried to relocate s sapling. I personally know people who have, and were successful though, and they were all tiny specimens.
Hmm maybe white liquor could be made with them. The use of sugar in the mash would cut the bitterness. Might produce a peppery flavor. Let us know if you ever run across anyone who's tried it. And no I don't do it but I have watched the Moonshiners TV show
That sounds like a great idea. I have never tried distilling anything though. I'm too busy with my hands in the dirt. If you separate the seed from the flesh, and eat them separately, you learn that the flesh is not nearly as strong as the seed. The seed is probably 70% of the flavor.
If the berries dont have sugar there's no point to adding them to the mash. Just use them like gin botanicals and infuse the vodka after distillation. It's possible that his "spicebush gin" might have been good if he took out the berries after a shorter period.
Hey this video was super informative and overall pleasant to watch. I’m a horticulturist as well as garden designer who is 110% from the school of natives. One of my clients has a huge property upstate NY and I’ve been commissioned to design there landscape as well as pollinator garden. Just wondering, since the shrub does not sucker what is its growing habit. I’m interested in putting a male and female spice bush in the front along the house. If I wanted lower branches for a more fuller look vs taller is there a way of going about pruning that you recommend ? Thanks again.
Hi - thank you for the kind words. For getting lower branches, the key would be to make sure sunlight can reach the lower trunk. Like other trees/shrubs, Spicebush will try to maximize the surface area of leaves that can reach sunlight. So initially this would involve no pruning at all, but eventually you may need to prune upper branches back towards the main trunks to allow for lower branches to get sunlight.
@@growitbuildit that’s exactly what I was thinking/taught. Just wanted to confirm with you as you have a lot of experience/ love for this plant. Incorporating some native conifers ( weeping alaskan cedar, and juniperous) as well as Amelanchier laevis, and Aronia melanocarpa. And false-wild indigo Baptisia australis. Thanks again for your expertise . Much appreciated. And as a fellow gardener trying to make the world a more ecologically bountiful and biodiverse place, I thank you. I will continue to watch more of your vids.
Hi. Just curious. This is an off question. But, my friend has this lawn (by a river) that is clay dirt. It stays wet. (Hard to mow) There are large puddle áreas in the lawn. Doesn't drain. Can you by chance suggest something that could grow in these clay lawn puddles? I've tried to Google. But keep getting conflicting info. Thanks 😊❤
I live in Texas, zone 8. I bought 2 little spicebushes (4 inch pot, about 6 inches tall) online this spring and planted them on the south side of a hackberry tree. They got morning sun and afternoon shade. They were growing a little and happy until we got to july and multiple 100+ f (110 once) highs and 83, 84 f lows. I covered them with burlap and gave them plenty of water. They still lost their leaves. Now that temps are lower, they are starting to grow leaves again. So, I don't think you can grow spice bush in the south in full sun. Just sayin.
Two days ago, my boyfriend and I found tons of spicebush trees on the edge of his woods, and I was so happy to see your video. Looks like I will be getting some berries from him and trying to grow it! I'll probably try all the methods you mentioned, just to see what works best. Not sure if I missed it, but are there suckers or volunteers that I could just dig up and transplant?
I've never dug one up myself, but have heard from those who did. They had success when the plant was short....roughly 2' tall. But from what I've read more mature ones often fail when transplanting. You can't tell the sex of the plant unless it's flowering (which doesn't happen until they reach a certain size) or if there are berries. So transplanting can often be a crapshoot unless you know what it is before you dig.
Question: when you put your seeds in the garage, did you keep the soil moist? Did the soil just stay moist because it was cold enough there? Did you just put them in the garage and ignore them until spring? Thank you!!
Hi Amy - I gave the pots a small amount of water every week to counteract evaporation. You can just go pick them up periodically too though. They don't need to be sopping wet, but just can't dry out.
You can do that, as that is when it happens naturally. Just don't let the seeds completely freeze! During the coldest parts of winter, keep them in an unheated garage or shed and give it some water once per week so it doesn't completely dry out.
Nice video, well done. Picked some berries this morning on my brother's property. Absolutely loaded underneath mature hickory trees. Interesting flavor. Probably be good in applesauce or pumpkin pie. I need to remove a sumac next to my garage that is getting too large. A couple of these would be a nice replacement.
That's about the most thorough coverage of a plant that I've ever seen. Thank you. This is a new plant for me, but I live in SW Missouri, which appears to be included in its native range, so I'll be on the lookout for it so I can collect some berries for seed!
Thank you - I appreciate it. Considering the time of year, if you can't find berries, be on the lookout for the yellow leaves. Then just tear/smell them to check.
I live in an area with Canadian tiger swallowtails and eastern tiger swallowtails. I saw one of those species lay 8 eggs on mine this year. NWF also lists it as being a host plant for Eastern Tiger swallowtails.
That is cool - I didn't know the Eastern Tiger laid eggs on it too. I haven't seen them visiting the one in my yard, but then again, I have lots of Poplar trees and some viburnum in the area.
Great info! Our property on the VA Blueridge is populated with spicebush. None of them flower, but some produce berries. The leaves turn yellow in the fall.
Can I plant these in CT in June??? If i start stratisfying now??? Thanks. (I wish u had a video on steeple bush, button bush, joe pye weed, and milk weed too.)
Hi - yes, as long as you have viable seed and start stratifying now! I have nothing published on Steeple or Button, but have good articles on Joe Pye and Milkweed (I do have a transplant Milkweed video though). growitbuildit.com/germinate-milkweed-seeds-step-by-step/ growitbuildit.com/joe-pye-weed-eutrochium-eupatorium/
Yes - they are perfectly fine under Black Walnut. In fact where I showed a Spicebush in a tree shelter? That is about 10' away from a 40' tall Black Walnut. If you are interested in other plants that are ok under Black Walnut , I made a long list of them here - growitbuildit.com/juglone-tolerant-plants-black-walnut-compatible/
