Plant Suggestions to take the place of Non-native, Invasive Bush Honeysuckles
Robin Schachat
First of all I am going to make an assumption. Most of us whose gardens have been invaded by bush honeysuckles have not set out intentionally to include them, so the vast majority are invaders into existing mixed hedges, woodland edges, and odd spots. Eradication of bush honeysuckles in those locations is unlikely to create a void we need or wish to fill in. That leaves the possibility that we have inherited or planted either full hedges of these plants or else featured specimens.
To replace a bush honeysuckle hedge, the most wildlife-friendly option would be to plant a mixed hedge, one that does not rely upon a single genus of plants. By doing this, you can plant for bloom and fruit over a wide variety of seasons. This will ensure that birds and pollinators will want to visit and/or nest in your hedge throughout the seasons. Such a hedge might use, as a repeated anchor plant, one of the native viburnums such as Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood, to 12’ tall) (photo #1) or Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum, to 6’ tall) (photo #2). Like invasive bush honeysuckles, these bear colorful berries that have the added advantage to be very nutritious for migratory or over-wintering birds.
Mixed among the hedge you might consider native hollies like Ilex verticillata (winterberry, with cultivars offering heights from 3’ to 15’ tall). You will need to plant at least one male plant for each 6 or 7 females to guarantee fruiting; they are dioecious. (photo #3) They will do best in damp to wet locations. These are the native deciduous hollies whose berries we love to use for holiday flower arrangements.
In well-drained soil, consider adding the exceptionally lovely evergreen Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel, to 7’ tall). (photo # 4) Another woodland-edge evergreen that mixes well in a hedge is Ilex glabra (inkberry, to 6’, variably by cultivar). (photo #5) The chokeberry species, Aronia arbutifolia and Aronia melanocarpa will do brilliantly in sunnier spots. (photo #6) Lindera benzoin (spicebush) (photo #7) and Clethra alnifolia (summersweet) (photo #8) are great additions in shade or semishade.
However you mix your hedge plants, stick to the design rules of rhythm and repetition: use a strong anchor plant in regular repetition on which to base the string, and repeat the other shrubs less regularly throughout to make a happy hedge. By the second mature year, it will be full of nesting songbirds and buzzing with native bees.
On to specimens! Who does not love to see a magnificent specimen plant as a focal point in the garden? As a single or perhaps as one of a small, odd-numbered group, underplanted with spring bulbs and a wash of a pretty perennial to set it off, a specimen shrub provides a special, particular place for the viewer’s eye to rest.
Beautyberry is a great name, isn’t it? It’s also a great plant. Callicarpa americana can grow to 8’ tall, although more often you will see it at 5’ – 6’ tall by the same in width, in a fountaining form. In late summer its delicate branches are heavily hung with shiny, purple berries clustered around the branch along its entire length. (photo #9) I’ve seen this used very effectively as a single-genus hedge, too, but we are not addressing that here! American beautyberry wants full to part sun in well-drained soil. Its fall foliage is a happy yellow. I would underplant these with our native geranium to bring out the color of the shrub’s late spring bloom, and maybe even add in some rosy purple fall bulbs to set off the berries.
Late to leaf out in the spring is Carolina allspice, Calycanthus floridus. There are many cultivars in the trade, whose height varies from 5’ to 15’, officially – I have one over 20’, and had I known it would get that tall I wouldn’t have planted it where I did! The absolute joy of this plant is its scent when in bloom, which is officially in late spring/early summer, although my super tall one has flowered from March until, once, even Thanksgiving. Flower scent and color varies by cultivar; the straight species bloom is burgundy and the scent is magnificently sweet. (photo #10) Big advantage: the scent, when the plant is in bloom, drives away deer – I can even grow Asiatic lilies under this shrub! And because it is relatively spreading and coarse in structure, it can handle lilies growing through it. Underplant with daffodils, the lilies, growing up through an 8” – 10” sea of perennials.
A far more delicate choice for a small cluster of specimens is one of our native, deciduous azaleas. In wet soil, try Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea, 4’ – 5’ tall), although she grows just fine in regular garden soil also. Her bloom is usually white, although there are naturally occurring pink forms too, sweetly fragrant. Give her filtered or light shade and you will see why I call her female – delicate, ladylike, swooningly pretty. (photo #11) And if you want a cousin for dryer soil or deeper shade, try the slightly taller Rhododendron vaseyi (pinkshell azalea) (photo # 12) or in more sun, go for Rhododendron periclymenoides (pinxterbloom) (photo #13) Any of these lovely ladies will make you forget all about how attractive and fragrant you used to think your honeysuckles were.
Finally, for a taller specimen, consider Jane Ellison’s favorite, the genus Amelanchier. These are a few species of this lovely, native, shrub/small tree group, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. For example, let’s go with Amelanchier canadensis, shadbush or serviceberry, a very delicate-appearing plant grown with either one or multiple stems, to 20’ in height. (photo #14) Amelanchiers come into bloom very early in spring in clouds or small white blossoms that are mobbed by pollinators, and bear their fruit early also, red/purple pomes in summer. If you can get to the fruit before the birds, they make nice preserves, but why fight over them? They make lovely bird-covered shrubs, too. Fall foliage is showy in tones of gold, orange, and red – much better than boring green honeysuckles.
All of these “specimen” varieties would also make lovely additions to a mixed hedgerow, or to a woodland verge. Not only will they and their hedgy friends make you happy, but they will feed the pollinators from spring through fall – and the pollinators will feed the birds! These plants will also house the birds in nesting season, feed them from summer through fall migration, and give them cover year round. Bring nature into your backyard.
