Honeysuckle bush question

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

Howdy all.

Every time I walk by a honeysuckle bush, the scent makes me want to grow my own in my yard! I also love how they seem to thrive for so long in the summer.

Anyone know exactly what variety these are that seem to grow well around this area and have that really great scent?

There are three varieties listed in Wikipedia and I'm just not sure which one is the variety you commonly see around here because they all look so similar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diervilla

Thanks so much if you happen to know

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the kind of honeysuckle I see most often around here is actually Japanese honeysuckle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Honeysuckle). It's an invasive species: there may be laws against planting it.

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. That looks just like it.

And, yeah, I think you're right. I was just doing some more googling and it sounds like it's a really an invasive weed. People seem pretty adamant about the fact that it can take over your yard and your neighbors yards too.

Back to the drawing board for me I think! I definitely don't want to contribute to a honeysuckle epidemic!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yes, you really shouldn't plant most Lonicera spp. because they're non-native and invasive (I don't think there are laws against it, though).

The native US honeysuckles like Lonicera sempervirens (http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=lose) are beautiful, non-invasive, and support hummingbirds and butterflies. North American hummingbirds don't sip Lonicera japonica, so by planting that instead of L. sempervirens you're depriving hummingbirds of their lunch!

We have a giant L. japonica in our front yard, which I am meaning to tear out and replace with an L. sempervirens.

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

Oh... Interesting! I like the idea of being able to attract hummingbirds. I'll look into that variety. Thanks!

[medyani.livejournal.com]

You can get a wide variety of beautiful native plants -- including the native Loniceras -- and lots of helpful advice at Garden In The Woods (http://www.newfs.org/). The gardens are beautiful and well worth a visit whether you are going to buy plants or not.

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

Wow. That place looks amazing. Thanks for the tip!

[obie119.livejournal.com]

Oh, Garden in the Woods is great, and I highly recommend the native honeysuckle mentioned above. You don't get the smell, but having hummingbirds in the suburban yard in NJ where I grew up (they really love it!) was tough to beat. And it is a much prettier plant, and very hardy. Enjoy!