Spice up your Pacific NW shade garden with Drimys Mountain Pepper. Oozing with textural elegance. Drimys Mountain Pepper is an excellent evergreen hedge, specimen or accent. It’s an ornamental edible featuring glossy green leaves that radiate from bold red stems and petioles creating year-round appeal.
Clusters of fragrant, pale yellow / white flowers of this mountain pepper appear late winter- early spring followed by edible, blue / black fruits in the autumn. The fruits are used s a spicy condiment and replacement for Allspice or pepper and are a good source of vitamin C. Not something I’d want to sit and munch on, but it can be a valuable addition to a food forest. Hence the name Mountainpepper. It was used by both the Aborigines and colonists as a pepper substitute. Today it’s used worldwide as a spice and in the perfume industry for its non-toxic aromatic qualities. Cinnamon Drimys perfume anyone?
The leaves of Drimys can also be dried and ground into a pungent spice.
How does Drimys Mountain Pepper taste?
Initially there is a sweetness that only lasts moments; yielding to a pungent, slightly cinnamon, peppery taste that is also fleeting. Then you will notice a strange tongue- numbing sensation that lingers. Very similar to the spice valued in Chinese cooking ‘Sichuan pepper’. A tongue numbing trick to play on your unsuspecting garden visitors!
Forms a teardrop shape, slightly taller than wide. Drimys has been gracing Pacific NW gardens for a long time and grows about 6 ft here in our climate. Native to Tasmania, it’s surprisingly hardy here. Slow growing, but over time can reach 10 ft or more. Evergreen and very dense it makes a great windbreak or backdrop in shady gardens. Give it a sheltered spot in cooler climates.
You may prune branch tips to maintain desired shape. Mountain Pepper prefers bright shade in slightly acidic soil and can scorch in full sun making it a valuable and unique addition to a shade garden. Try pairing it with Aralia ‘Sun King’ for a stunning foliage display.
Author: Stephanie Beach
1 Comment
Hello Stephanie, I am enjoying your site and all of the interesting plants and information you share. I am looking for Sichuan pepper and/or Sansho, Zanthoxylum piperitum. I look forward to a visit of your gardens in the future.
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