Flower of Firefly Bush Honeysuckle
Recently I have discovered an outstanding shrub for the garden — I really don’t know why it is not commonly grown here in the DMV. Bush honeysuckle is a deciduous, small woody shrub that thrives in full sun. It is native, deer resistant, and drought resistant and so far I have not seen any pest/disease issues. I have four different ones that I planted 2 years ago. I will admit, it took that long for them to settle down and thrive but once they are established, they provide pretty summer color.
Although not grown for flowers, bush honeysuckle blooms small, yellow tubular flowers that open up to yellow or orange florets. These attract bees and hummingbirds. Sometimes the floral color contrasts with the foliage making them stand out but if you were to cut something and put it in a vase, it would be the foliage.
Firefly from Bloomin’ Easy
I have Firefly and Nightglow from Bloomin’ Easy. Firefly® (Diervilla sessilifolia) is about 3 feet tall and wide with green summer foliage. I say “summer” because foliage can change color with these cultivars depending on the season and maturity (new versus old leaves). The orange reddish new growth appears mid-summer and contrasts nicely with the green. It also blooms mid-summer with yellow and orange flowers at the end of the branches. Nightglow® (D. splendens) is smaller, about 2 feet tall and wide, with summer burgundy red foliage (so far, no blooms).
Kodiak Fresh from PW Color Choice
Proven Winners Color Choice sells the Kodiak® series in green, dark purple to black, and copper red foliage colors. These are D. x splendens, a cross between D. lonicera and D. sessilifolia. I have Kodiak® Red and Kodiak Fresh®. Red has green summer foliage, and the new growth is red. It bloomed earlier in the year leaving behind small upright seed heads. Fresh has light green summer foliage with copper-orange new growth. This year it has not bloomed yet.
If you search on the internet, you may find more color variations. There has been quite a lot of breeding to expand the foliage color in this outstanding shrub. They are all relatively small, no bigger than 4 feet, which makes them perfect for small homes. These should be available at the local garden centers but if not, you can order directly from Bloomin’ Easy or check out the Proven Winners Color Choice website for online sources and local retailers.
Nightglow from Bloomin’ Easy
I love Diervilla and agree it’s surprisingly underutilized. The cultivars you mentioned are lovely. So is the uncultivated species. I’ve found it to be very reliable and good for spots that transition from part to full sun. It expands over time and the outermost shoots can extracted and planted elsewhere.
I am glad you like it too.