Diervilla sessilifolia ‘Butterfly’
Overview
Uses: Mass plantings, slopes, native gardens, and pollinator gardens.
Benefits: A selection of the native southern bush honeysuckle with clusters of yellow flowers through summer that bees and butterflies visit. It spreads gently to fill in, handles tough sites and dry spells once established, and is not related to invasive bush honeysuckles.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–8
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Mounding, Spreading — dense, suckering to fill in.
Bloom Color: Yellow
Foliage Color: Green
Mature Height: 3–5 feet
Mature Width: 3–5 feet
Bloom Season: Summer
Growth Rate: Fast
Summary
Bright yellow summer flowers on a native shrub that fills slopes and tough spots on its own.
Butterfly is a selection of southern bush honeysuckle, Diervilla sessilifolia, a shrub native to the southeastern United States. In early summer, clusters of small, tubular yellow flowers open at the branch tips, and new clusters keep coming for weeks, well after most spring shrubs have finished.
It grows quickly into a dense mound three to five feet tall and spreads by suckers, so a group of plants closes ranks into a solid mass. That makes it a practical choice for banks, slopes, and large beds where you want cover rather than a single specimen.
Bumblebees and other bees work the flowers all summer. Despite the name, it is not one of the invasive Asian bush honeysuckles; it belongs to a different genus with its native range in North America.
Care
Butterfly Southern Bush Honeysuckle Care
Plant in full sun to partial shade. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; in partial shade it grows a little more open but still blooms.
It adapts to a wide range of soils, including clay and rocky ground, as long as water does not stand around the roots for long periods.
Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season while roots establish. Established plants tolerate dry spells, though they flower best with occasional deep watering during long droughts.
Feeding needs are light. One application of a slow release fertilizer in early spring is plenty, and plants in reasonable soil often need none.
Bush honeysuckle blooms on new growth, so prune in late winter or early spring before growth begins. You can shape it lightly, or cut the whole plant back to about a foot tall every few years to renew it; it regrows and flowers the same summer. If suckers stray beyond where you want the planting, slice them off with a spade.
Size
What Size is the Butterfly Southern Bush Honeysuckle for Sale Online?
Our Butterfly Southern Bush Honeysuckle ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Butterfly Southern Bush Honeysuckle Grow?
Expect about 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide at maturity, in a dense, mounding shape that widens slowly by suckers. Space plants about 3 to 4 feet apart for a mass planting on a slope.
Additional Information
Is Butterfly Southern Bush Honeysuckle a native plant?
It is a selection of Diervilla sessilifolia, which is native to the southeastern United States. Selections like this one are often called nativars: they keep the summer flowers and pollinator value of the native species in a dependable garden form. Browse more Native Plants of North America.
Is it related to invasive bush honeysuckle?
No. The invasive bush honeysuckles that crowd out woodland understories are Asian species of Lonicera. Southern bush honeysuckle is a Diervilla, a separate North American genus with yellow tubular flowers and dry seed capsules rather than the red berries birds spread from invasive Lonicera.
Will it spread?
Yes, slowly. It sends up suckers around the base and gradually widens into a colony, which is exactly what makes it useful on slopes and in mass plantings. In a mixed border, an occasional cut with a spade keeps it in its space. For more flowering shrubs, see our Shrubs & Bushes.
