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shrub

Northern bush honeysuckle

Diervilla lonicera

Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.

Diervilla lonicera is a deciduous shrub for gardens in zones 3–7. It grows 2–4 ft tall and 3–5 ft wide, so plant it 3.5 ft apart. Give it full sun to shade and little water once established. It flowers yellow in June to July. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.

Facts from our plant table

Botanical name
Diervilla lonicera
Plant type
Shrub, deciduous
Hardiness zones
3 to 7
Sun
Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
Water
Low
Soil
Tolerates dry, rocky soil and root competition; suckers into a low colony.
Mature size
2–4 ft tall × 3–5 ft wide
Spacing
3.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
Growth rate
Medium
Bloom
Jun–Jul · yellow
Roles in a bed
Structure
Styles
natural, low water
Deer resistance
Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
Pets
Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds (same basis as the Kodiak Orange bush honeysuckle).
Native to
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest
Pot size and price
2-gallon pot, typically $20–$35 (sometimes stocked)
Plant in
Spring or Fall
First-year watering
Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
Pruning
Cut a few of the oldest stems to the ground in late winter; pull suckers that stray.

Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.

Guides that include this plant

Good companions

The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Northern bush honeysuckle, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.

If you can't find it

Substitutes our engine offers for Northern bush honeysuckle: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.

How this page was made

This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.

Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.

Sources

  • Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
  • ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
  • Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
  • State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
  • Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)

Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants