Illustration
Carolina Allspice
Calycanthus floridus
Also called carolina sweetshrub, common sweetshrub, sweetshrub, sweet shrub, bubby bush, sweet betsy, sweet bubby bush, eastern sweetshrub and strawberry shrub
Carolina Allspice blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Carolina Allspice
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 7.5 ft tall and 9 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
Is Carolina Allspice toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as poisonous to people by Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
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 Carolina Allspice
Plant Carolina Allspice 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 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Carolina Allspice get?
7.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult9 ftwideSee Carolina Allspice 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 Carolina Allspice
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Carolina Allspice about 9 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 Carolina Allspice 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
Carolina Allspice's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 16 published sources on October 14, 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.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Clemson Home and Garden Information Centerrevised 2025-01-23height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, bloom months and color, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Mt. Cuba Centerheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionSelecting Shrubs for Your Homeheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color and soil
- Chicago Botanic Garden2024hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color, diseases and pests
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Databaseheight, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and soil
- Iowa State University Extensionreviewed June 2026height, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Evaluation Notes Issue 50 (2024), Table 1height, spread and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic GardenUnderused Shrubsheight, spread and bloom months and color
- University of Florida IFASExtension, FPS95/FP095height, spread and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin Horticulturerevised 2012-08-13height and bloom months and color
- Iowa State University Extension2003height and water
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
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.