Illustration
Aphrodite Sweetshrub
Calycanthus 'Aphrodite'
Also called aphrodite calycanthus
Also comes in purple.
Aphrodite Sweetshrub blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Aphrodite Sweetshrub
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 9 ft tall and 11 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Aphrodite Sweetshrub. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Aphrodite Sweetshrub
Plant Aphrodite Sweetshrub in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Aphrodite Sweetshrub get?
9 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult11 ftwideSee Aphrodite Sweetshrub in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Aphrodite Sweetshrub
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Aphrodite Sweetshrub about 11 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Aphrodite Sweetshrub to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Aphrodite Sweetshrub's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 8 published sources on September 26, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Chicago Botanic GardenIssue 50, 2024height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- US plant patent (Google Patents)US Plant Patent PP24,014 (Thomas G. Ranney, NC State University, the b...height, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and toxicity
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- Proven Winnersheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and pests
- Plant Delights Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.