Northern bush honeysuckle

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; tolerates deeper shade but flowers less.

Water

Moderate while establishing; tolerates dry spells once rooted.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy, gravelly or rocky ground; tolerates poor soil and a broad pH range, but not prolonged waterlogging.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m), eventually wider through suckers

Flowers

Late spring to midsummer; small, tubular yellow flowers often deepen to orange-red as they age.

Foliage

Opposite, pointed, finely toothed green leaves; new growth may be bronze, with variable yellow, orange or red autumn colour.

Growth

Moderate to fast, especially in its sideways spread

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.56 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.1 ft (0.63 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.3 ft (0.69 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply during dry spells in the first growing season.
• After establishment, water during prolonged drought if leaves wilt or scorch.
• Apply a thin organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stem bases.
• Avoid routine feeding; rich soil and heavy fertilising are unnecessary.
• Remove rooted suckers at the edge of the clump if you need to limit its spread.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead wood and cut some of the oldest stems to ground level. An overgrown clump can be cut back hard at the same time; flowers form on new growth.

Late winter

Thin old stems or rejuvenate an overgrown clump before new growth begins.

Spring

Plant container-grown shrubs, water thoroughly and mulch lightly.

Late spring

Lift and transplant rooted suckers, or remove them where the clump is spreading too far.

Summer

Water new plants during dry weather; established plants usually need little supplementary water.

Early summer

Take softwood cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Plant or divide rooted suckers while the soil is workable and not waterlogged.

• Mass on a sunny or partly shaded bank, where suckering growth helps cover exposed soil.
• Use along woodland edges with sedges and ferns for a low, informal shrub layer.
• Plant in a pollinator border with wild bergamot and asters for successive flowering.
• Use beneath widely spaced deciduous trees where established plants must tolerate some dry shade.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden, Low-maintenance, Rewilded and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Pennsylvania sedge, Wild columbine, Wild geranium, Christmas fern, Wild bergamot and Heart-leaved aster.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. Dense colonies offer low cover for small wildlife; unlike true honeysuckles, it produces dry seed capsules rather than fleshy berries.

• Unwanted suckering: dig out rooted shoots beyond the intended planting area rather than simply clipping their tops.
• Sparse flowering in deep shade: move to a brighter position or accept it primarily as foliage cover.
• Wilting or scorched leaves on new plants: water the root zone deeply and mulch to reduce drying.
• Occasional powdery mildew or leaf spots: improve airflow, avoid wetting foliage when watering and remove badly affected fallen leaves.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific safety information is limited, and no part should be treated as food.

• Southern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia)

  Its leaves attach directly to the stems without leaf stalks; northern bush honeysuckle has short but distinct leaf stalks.

• Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

  Usually a much taller shrub with smooth-edged leaves, pink or white flowers and fleshy red or orange berries; northern bush honeysuckle has toothed leaves, yellow flowers and dry capsules.

Diervilla honours the French surgeon and traveller Dièreville, while lonicera refers to its resemblance to true honeysuckles.

Propagation. Separate rooted suckers in spring or autumn, keeping roots attached and watering after replanting. Softwood cuttings taken in early summer are another practical method.

Accepted botanical name

Diervilla lonicera

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada, the lower 48 states and St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Native range

Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Labrador, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Masachusettes and Michigan.

Measured

Soil pH 4.8 to 7. Average height 22 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.