Plants that Shine First: Winter Honeysuckle
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| Photo Credit: Lane Greer |
| The lemony-fresh scent of winter honeysuckle perfumes the air on warmer winter days. |
For years, one of my favorite shrubs has been winter honeysuckle. Its Latin name, Lonicera fragrantissima, tells you everything you need to know, since “fragrantissima” means “most fragrant.” (And before you pooh-pooh the idea of planting an invasive honeysuckle, let me assure you that this particular species is a well-contained shrub, with no spreading tendencies whatsoever!)
Hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4-8, winter honeysuckle is an old-fashioned shrub that our grandmothers may have had in their yards but people don’t seem to plant as often now. I’ve often wondered why fragrant shrubs aren’t as popular as they once were, and I’ve decided that air-conditioning is to blame: If your house is always closed up, you don’t get a chance to enjoy the wonderful scents that many plants produce. Despite my great theory, this still doesn’t explain why winter honeysuckle isn’t popular, since the shrub flowers in winter. (Yes, winter!) I’ve seen plants with open flowers in every month from November to April. It’s a fantastic plant! | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Lane Greer | | The bluish-green leaves are enhanced with new purple stems that emerge in spring. |
Each cream-colored flower on this beautiful species is small – only ½ an inch or so – but the amount of lemony-scented goodness packed into the overall floral show is amazing. Depending on a winter’s harshness, winter honeysuckle will either retain some or none of its leaves in cold weather, and flowers appear on rather bare branches.
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| Warnings |
- Many honeysuckles are fragrant, whether they’re shrubby or vining types. Although Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) has a wonderful scent, it’s a very poor choice for most yards, due to its extreme invasiveness. The plant is considered an invasive weed in most states and has been banned in much of New England.
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| Tips |
- Great companion plants for winter honeysuckle include daffodils, flowering quince and forsythia. Place yellow or white daffodils just in front of the honeysuckle, and they’ll bloom together for years. Flowering quince often blooms during warm winter periods, too. To extend the flowering season, plant forsythia nearby.
- Cut branches of winter honeysuckle will perfume a room for days. For best results, cut the branches (however long you’d like) on a day when temperatures are above freezing. Place them in water (just as you would cutflowers) and keep them away from heat sources, like fireplaces, heater vents and television sets.
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