Native Plants

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Thursday - June 11, 2015

From: East Troy , WI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Shrubs
Title: Why doesn't Diervilla lonicera bloom in Wisconsin?
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I have had a Diervilla lonicera in southeastern Wisconsin for at least 5 years. It has never bloomed. Why? It appears healthy.

ANSWER:

Diervilla lonicera is the Northern bush honeysuckle, a small, mound-shaped, deciduous shrub growing to 3 ft. Exfoliating bark reveals orange inner bark. Dark-green leaves change from yellow to red in autumn. Small, bell-shaped flowers are yellow-green at first, becoming orange or purplish-red as they age. The flowers aren't really showy and should appear in early summer May-June. I have seen this shrub do perfectly fine in full sun as well. Perhaps if it is planted in dense shade it will not bloom.

Many people use Diervilla in their garden because it has a low water requirement and tolerates dry, sandy and wooded sites. It grows in part shade to full shade in slightly acidic soils. It will sucker freely forming a nice broad mass as it ages.

The www.docaitta.com website says the following ... D. lonicera has a very large range, extending from Alabama/Georgia in the south to all of eastern Canada and west all the way to Saskatchewan. It is supposed to be hardy to USDA Zone 2b. That is hardy.

Around 1700, a Frenchman named Dièreville visited the French colony of Acadie – now called Nova Scotia. He gathered plant specimens unknown in the Old World, and upon his return to France this one was named in his honour, Diervilla lonicera (Diervilla's honeysuckle).

From the Image Gallery

Northern bush honeysuckle
Diervilla lonicera