Diervilla lonicera
Overview
Uses: Groundcover for slopes and banks, erosion control, mass plantings, dry shade, naturalized areas, pollinator and woodland gardens.
Benefits: A tough, low-spreading native that solves difficult spots — dry shade, lean soil, and eroding slopes — where most shrubs give up. It suckers into a dense, weed-suppressing colony, blooms yellow through summer for bees and hummingbirds, and offers bronze new growth followed by red and burgundy fall color. Highly deer-resistant and remarkably low-maintenance.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–7
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Mounding, Spreading — low, suckering colonies.
Bloom Color: Yellow
Foliage Color: Green with bronze new growth, maturing to red and burgundy in fall
Mature Height: 2–4 feet
Mature Width: 3–5 feet
Bloom Season: Early to late summer
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast
Summary
Bush honeysuckle is the native shrub to reach for when nothing else will cover a dry, shady slope — and it manages to look good doing it.
Low and densely branched, it spreads by suckers into a tidy, ground-covering colony that knits soil together on banks and difficult grades. Clusters of small yellow trumpet-shaped flowers open through summer, drawing bees and hummingbirds, while the foliage carries interest of its own: bronze-red new growth in spring and warm red-to-burgundy tones in fall.
Despite its name, this is a true native and a well-mannered garden plant, unrelated to the invasive Asian honeysuckles. Unfussy about soil, tolerant of shade and drought once established, and notably deer-resistant, it is one of the most useful low shrubs for naturalizing tough ground.
Care
Bush Honeysuckle Care
Bush honeysuckle is exceptionally adaptable, growing in full sun to fairly deep shade and in poor, dry, rocky, or sandy soils. It performs best with decent drainage but tolerates a wide range of conditions.
Water new plantings until established; after that the shrub is genuinely drought-tolerant and needs little supplemental water. It rarely requires feeding, though a light slow release fertilizer in spring can speed establishment on very lean sites.
Almost no maintenance is needed. To rejuvenate or control size, cut the colony back hard in late winter and it will resprout densely. Remove outer suckers if you want to limit its spread.
Size
What Size is the Bush Honeysuckle for Sale Online?
Our Bush Honeysuckle ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Bush Honeysuckle Grow?
Bush honeysuckle stays low, generally 2 to 4 feet tall, and spreads 3 to 5 feet or more as it suckers outward to form a colony. Its low, spreading habit is exactly what makes it so useful as a large-scale groundcover.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
It is commonly called bush honeysuckle, and also northern bush honeysuckle and dwarf bush honeysuckle.
Is this the invasive honeysuckle I've heard about?
No. The invasive honeysuckles are non-native Asian species in the genus Lonicera. This plant is Diervilla lonicera, a well-behaved North American native — see more in our collection of native plants.
Is bush honeysuckle deer resistant?
Yes, it is considered highly deer-resistant, which adds to its value for naturalizing and low-maintenance plantings, though no plant is completely deer-proof. For more options, browse our deer-resistant shrubs and evergreens.
Can it grow on a slope or in dry shade?
Those are its specialties. Its suckering roots stabilize banks and slopes for erosion control, and it tolerates the dry shade beneath trees better than almost any other flowering shrub — find more options among our shrubs and bushes.
