🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
spices
evergreen tree
Myrtaceae
☀️ Sun
partial shade to full sun
💧 Water
high
🗺️ Zones
[11,12]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.0
🪴 Soil Type
rich, well-drained, loamy
🚿 Drainage
Well-drained
📏 Spacing
20-25 ft
📐 Height
25-50 ft
⏱️ Maturity
5-7 years to first harvest; productive 50+ years
🤝 Companions (9)
🤝 Banana
Shade for young clove trees
🤝 Banana
Provides shade for establishing clove trees; creates humid microclimate
🤝 Coconut Palm
Traditional overstory in mixed tropical spice gardens of Indonesia
🤝 Comfrey
Dynamic accumulator
🤝 Comfrey
Dynamic accumulator
🤝 Marigold
Universal companion
🤝 Marigold
Universal companion
🤝 Nutmeg
Traditional Spice Island companions — same climate
🤝 Nutmeg
Traditional Spice Island companions — both native to Maluku, same climate needs
⚠️ Keep Apart (3)
⚠️ Walnut
Juglone sensitive
⚠️ Walnut
Juglone sensitive
⚠️ none — but demands consistent tropical heat and humidity
📝 Growing Notes
Cloves are unopened flower buds — hand-picked just before pink petals emerge, then sun-dried until brown. A single tree produces for 50-70 years. Native to Indonesia's Spice Islands (Maluku). Triggered European colonial spice wars.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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