Native Deciduous Shrub
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Height: 2’–3’
Bloom color: yellow to red
Bloomtime: June–August
Moisture: Dry, Medium
Soil: Loam, sand
Attracts: Butterflies, pollinators, birds
Host: Fawn Sphinx Moth
Other values: Deer & drought resistant
This is a gallon size plant.
Bush Honeysuckle, Diervilla lonicera, has dense, dark green foliage that turns yellow-orange, then red to purple in the autumn. The color will be more dramatic on plantings that receive more sunlight. Not a true honeysuckle, this small, mound-shaped shrub will spread to form thickets over time, making it a good choice for massing, hedgerows or shrub borders. The yellow honeysuckle-shaped flowers, which turn reddish in color as they mature, attract butterflies and other pollinators. The fruit capsules are desirable to many songbirds, autumn through winter.
This drought tolerant native shrub adapts easily to poor, rocky soils. Northern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla sp.) is not to be confused with invasive honeysuckles. Morrow’s honeysuckle, Tatarian honeysuckle, Amur honeysuckle, and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) are all invasive and non-native species.