Early to mid April the woods all along Federal Twist Road are sparkling with hundreds of Lindera benzoin in bloom. These native shrubs have an attractive open structure, spicy fragrance on a warm day (thus the moniker 'Spice bush'), and a multitude of very small flowers that make a dramatic impression where they grow in sufficient numbers. Warm yellow foliage in fall, too. Fortunately, deer avoid them.
This is a great substitute for the overused and, in my opinion, garish forsythia.
I love this plant. Surrounded by an ocean of forsythia up here in Sussex County, the spicebush is a welcome sight in the wild surrounds and a native understory tree/shrub that should be more widely available as a Forsythia alternative. You might find one at Millersville.
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Jim, This blog is really beautiful, the pictures are gorgeous, and I love the detail you write about everything. You make me want to start a garden in my NYC yard. I wish I had your talent. Linda
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