Morrow's Honeysuckle

In the Shenandoah Valley we have both the bush and vine varieties of Honeysuckle, immigrant and native. This vining variety, Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica ), and this flowering shrub variety, also known as Bush Honeysuckle are considered naturalized exotics, having made themselves quite at home in North America.

(The third member of the Lonicera family on display in the Gallery is the native Trumpet Honeysuckle, a red-blossomed vine.)

The immigrant Honeysuckles, as is the case with some other alien plants, have displaced and sometimes overwhelmed native flora. Some sources identify this Morrow's Honeysuckle as one of these "invasive" species.* (Other immigrant plants in the Gallery that are not universally admired, especially among farmers, are Autumn Olive and Rosa Multiflora.)

This variety is a relatively early bloomer, appearing in late April, several weeks earlier than the vining members of the family, both native and naturalized.

It was originally brought from Europe in the 19th century for use in ornamental gardens.

Since then it has spread from parks and gardens in the urban areas of New England southward to North Carolina and as far west as Iowa.

As you can see it puts out woody branches to form a shrub, unlike the common vine variety that comes to mind when we think of Honeysuckle.

Covered with fragrant blossoms, this small shrub will do well in shady parts of the garden where other plants will not grow, and no doubt was a flowering success story in the early gardens.

The flowers of all the Lonicera found in the Shenandoah Valley are similar, differing only in the fineness and coloring of the fresh blossoms.

The Morrow's blossom, however, to the left, is the most delicate and the smallest of the three in the Gallery.

This is Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica ), the familiar vining variety.

This is the native Lonicera, Trumpet Honeysuckle, another vining variety, which is not as aggressive in its growing habits as its exotic cousin, L. japonica .

The Trumpet Honeysuckle is not as floriferous as either of the immigrant Honeysuckles , but its blossoms are larger and the more showy of the three, in my opinion.

* Invasive? I don't place the Bush Honeysuckle in that category. This is an under-story shrub that fits into shady niches, bringing color and food for birds, without overwhelming most other plants.

Although it does bear numerous berries, its habitat requirements are more restricted than the vining L. Japonica, so it doesn't take over any open sunny space if not controlled.

An observation: Most often the berries on this bush variety come out as twins, with two hanging side-by-side!)

Go to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.

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