How to Germinate a Spice Bush

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a shrub that, in nature, grows to 20 feet in height but in cultivation rarely reaches over 6 feet. Native to marshes and moist woodland areas, spicebush bears small yellow flowers in March and April and edible red berries in fall. If you live within the range of the swallowtail butterfly, you will want to plant the spicebush somewhere in the landscape where you can watch the show as it is host to several swallowtails. This member of the laurel family is hardy in zones 4 through 9 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Thermos
Plastic sandwich bag
Sand
Nursery flat
Seed starting mix
Heat mat
Nursery pots

Instructions

- 1
  Place the spicebush seeds into a thermos and pour warm tap water over them. Allow the seeds to soak in the water for 12 hours.
- 2
  Fill a plastic sandwich bag with barely moist sand and push the spicebush seeds into it until they are completely enveloped. Seal the bag and leave it in the refrigerator for 90 days. Check the sand periodically to make sure it remains moist. If it feels like it's drying out, dribble water over it.
- 3
  Plant the seeds in a nursery flat filled with sterile seed starting planting mix. Place them on the surface and cover them with a 1/16-inch layer of the soil mix. Press the soil over the seeds lightly.
- 4
  Set the flat on the heat mat, set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Spicebush seeds germinate within 14 to 28 days.
- 5
  Transplant the seedlings into individual pots, filled with potting soil, when they have their third set of leaves. Grow them indoors in a partially shady area over their first winter. Transplant the spicebush seedlings into the garden the following summer.

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