I can send you some seeds. I think that you'd like them. Calycanthus is a native plant and is easy to grow. Last year, Michael Lindsey started blooming in mid-April and continued throughout the summer. Then it has a nice, yellow autumn color. I like it because it matches the red bricks on my home perfectly.
But the other two cultivars that I have are nice too. Athens has the best scent. Very sweet and fruity and it gets the most flowers. Venus has the largest flowers (maybe three times larger than the others) and the flowers look like magnolia blooms.
The extra plant came from the roots. If you want to try some seeds, I'd be happy to send you some.
Michael Lindsey, mid-November 2009
