Durable Desirable Diervilla

I’ve been growing northern bush honeysuckles (Diervilla lonicera) in my yard since 2018. Since Grow Native will be selling it at our 2026 fall plant market, I thought I’d share some of my impressions of this shrub.

To begin, we must clarify a common point of confusion: despite their overlapping names, northern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) is distinctly different from the non-native bush honeysuckles (Lonicera maackii, et. al.) that are invasive in our region. Like the “true” honeysuckles in the genus Lonicera, Diervilla has yellow-red trumpet shaped, nectar-rich flowers, but can be distinguished by having serrated leaf edges and dry seed capsules rather than red berries. Diervilla lonicera is native to the northeastern US and Canada, typically found on rocky woodland slopes and exposed ridges.

This is one of the toughest plants in my garden. Drought, salt, and shade tolerant, it can be grown in dry or wet soils and in both sun and shade. A few winters ago, rabbits ate my northern bush honeysuckles to the ground. “Disaster!” I moaned, gnashing my teeth. But the following spring these shrubs sent up numerous new shoots. This cycle of rabbit damage and regeneration continues every year. In response, instead of staying in clumps as originally planted, my northern bush honeysuckles now grow more as spreading thickets. I dig up out-lying shoots and transplant them around my yard. Tough as they are, I do recommend that you protect newly planted Diervilla shrubs. Fence them for the first couple of winters in order to allow their resilient roots to establish.

Northern bush honeysuckle is a low shrub that reaches 2-3 feet in height. Its vertical stems arch over in a graceful swoop. Large, lance shaped leaves grow densely along its stems. It is a shrub that can serve well as a low hedge, a coarse-textured drift in a garden bed, or a thug in a spot where you want to outcompete weeds. Its rhizomatous roots can prevent erosion on slopes. It is predominantly green during the growing season with a bit of crimson flare. New stems are red and young foliage often displays a reddish tinge. After being pollinated, the yellow flowers even take on a red hue! Its fall foliage can be glorious, ranging from yellow to red to pale purple.

And there are more than just aesthetic reasons to celebrate northern bush honeysuckle; it supports a range of native wildlife. Its dense growth habit provides cover for birds and other small creatures. It is a larval host for several species of moths, and the only known host of the Diervilla clearwing (Hemaris aethra). When it blooms in midsummer, it is a magnet for pollinators, especially long-tongued bumblebees, hummingbird moths, and butterflies. Since clusters of buds form at each leaf axil as a branch puts on new growth, Diervilla patches may bloom periodically all season long. The flowers transform into dry nut-like fruit capsules that feed birds and small mammals in fall and winter.