Winter-flowering Honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- luh-NIS-er-a fray-gran-TISS-ih-muh
- Description
-
Winter Honeysuckle is considered invasive in many states. The seeds are dispersed by birds and mammals that eat the berries. It can form a dense understory thicket restricting native plant growth and tree seedling establishment. Consider planting native plants.
The easy to grow Winter Honeysuckle thrives in well-drained soil and full sun. This large, wide, spreading, rounded deciduous or semi-evergreen (in the South) shrub with cane-like growth is best for the middle or back of the border. Typically it grows from 6.5 feet to 9 feet high and wide but may reach 12 to 15 feet high and wide. Leaves look like other honeysuckle leaves but are wider and more rounded. Small, white flowers start in January and continue through March. The fragrance is consistent with a hint of lemon. It transplants readily, is tolerant of soil pH and poor soils but is intolerant of wet conditions.
Winter Honeysuckle can fit in today’s smaller landscapes when used as a cutback shrub. Because it blooms early on growth from last year, it can be cut back close to the ground right after flowering and allowed to grow and flower the next winter. In addition to being a great ornamental, it is an excellent winter nectar source for honey bees and is effective for winter garden fragrance.
VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lonicera
- Species:
- fragrantissima
- Family:
- Caprifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China
- Wildlife Value:
- Honey bees and pollinators feed on winter flower nectar. Birds and small mammals eat the berries.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Fragrance
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 6 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- This plant produces dark red, heart-shaped, berries that form from two basally fused ovaries and are .3" in size. These berries are often hidden in the foliage.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Pink
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Good Cut
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are borne in peduncled pairs, are creamy-white tinged with pink or red, two-lipped, lemon-scented and very fragrant, axillary, and bloom in the late winter to early spring.
-
-
Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Dull, opposite, simple, elliptic to broad ovate, blue-green to dark green leaves are 1-3" long and wide. They have a non-showy fall color and are evergreen in warmer climates.
-
-
Bark:
- Bark Description:
- Exfoliating bark, cane-like growth, and arching stems
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Stems are hollow with stringy, tan bark and are often purple when young, glabrous, and have a stipular scar forming a line across the stem at each node.
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Erosion
- Poor Soil
