type :
Shrubs, Deciduous
sun exposure :
Full Sun, Partial Shade
water :
Moderate Water
planting zones :
US (Upper South) / Zone 6, MS (Middle South) / Zone 7, LS (Lower South) / Zone 8
Plant Details
This is a small and relatively unknown group of shrubs native to eastern North America. Spreading by suckers, they are suitable for massing or as a ground cover. Oval, pointed leaves make an attractive backdrop for summertime clusters of small yellow flow- ers that look something like honeysuckle (Lonicera) blooms. Tough, hardy, and pest free; cut back in early spring to renew vigor. Not browsed by deer.
dwarf bush honeysuckle
diervilla lonicera
- Native from Canada to North Carolina.
- Forms a low mound 24 feet tall and wide.
- Leaves are dark green above, a bit lighter beneath, 24 inches long.
- Sulfur yellow, inches-long flowers appear all summer.
- Copper produces flushes of copper-colored new foliage throughout the growing season.
georgia bush honeysuckle
diervilla rivularis
- Native from North Carolina and Tennessee south to Georgia and Alabama.
- Grows 6 feet tall and wide.
- Dark green, fuzzy leaves are 23 inches long, turn yellow-red in autumn.
- Clusters of lemon-yellow, inch-long flowers appear in June.
- Summer Stars is a dwarf selection to 23 feet tall and a bit wider, with profuse trumpetlike flowers in sulfur yellow.
southern bush honeysuckle
diervilla sessilifolia
- Same native range as Diervilla rivularis.
- Grows 35 feet high with equal or greater spread.
- Glossy green leaves to 6 inches long.
- Sulfur-yellow flowers to inches long appear through much of summer.
- Selection 'Butterfly' features deep yellow blooms and purple autumn foliage.
- Cool Splash has leaves broadly edged in white.