Ready for a Foliage Friday update? I hope so! Here is your friendly plant post, where I talk about a plant I love and hopefully convince you to either plant it or just be more knowledgeable about it.
Plant: Lindera obtusiloba, Japanese spicebush
Why: This one is for you, Erin! While I was in New York, Erin and I went to the New York Botanic Gardens and came across a spicebush. I remembered from my undergraduate class that the stems of the spicebush smell citrusy when you scratch them, so I asked Erin to smell it. She was amazed that I remembered such a random fact and how pretty it smelled. So I told her I'd write about it sometime for her. :)
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| Me with the spicebush we saw in New York! |
Landscape info: In mid-April, the spicebush flowers greenish yellow flowers and has some obvious fruit that ranges from red to black. In summer, the foliage is bright green and turns yellow in the fall. It does best in an environment that has full sun tpart shade. I did read that it does better in USDA zone 5. If your winter gets very cold, you may want to cover it with a tarp to keep it safe from severe elements. It can grow about 10 feet tall if left unpruned.
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| A close up of the yellow flowers of the spicebush |
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| The yellow foliage of the spicebush in fall. Beautiful! |
Other uses: I would assume that you could crush the leaves and/or twigs for an aromatic potpourri!
Fun facts: This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. Great way to get some pretty creatures to your yard! Almost all of the features of this bush are easy to overlook because they are so small, but if you take some time to notice them, they are very endearing!
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| The spicebush in New York again! |
Information and pictures from: http://www.backyardgardener.com, http://www.tripleoaks.com, http://stevesplantsandrants.blogspot.com
Thanks for tuning in for another week of Foliage Friday! :)
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