Lonicera standishii, the winter honeysuckle shrub

Lonicera standishii - winter honeysuckle

Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera standishii, is among the unavoidable winter blooming shrubs.

A List of Lonicera standishii facts

Name – Lonicera standishii
Family
Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)
Type
shrub

Height 3 to 6 ½ feet (1 to 2 meters)
Exposure
full sun
Soil
ordinary

Foliage
deciduous or evergreen – Flowering Winter/Spring

Caring for it is easy and both foliage and blooming are extremely ornamental.

Planting winter honeysuckle, Lonicera standishii

Honeysuckles are planted in fall, but it’s also possible to plant them up to spring. Apart from these two ideal periods, avoid freezing and sweltering heat.

  • They also require well drained soil, so best avoid stagnant water.
  • The ground must stay cool, even in summer.

As for placing, favor any sunbathed exposure.

  • Part sun is also very suitable.

Pruning, and caring for winter honeysuckle, Lonicera standishii

Winter honeysuckle sprig with open white flowersIt isn’t really necessary to prune it: your honeysuckle can do well without ever being pruned.

  • If you wish to reshape or your honeysuckle or balance the branches somewhat, wait for blooming to be over.

When your honeysuckle starts growing a bit sparse, it is also possible to trim it back severely, it will recover with renewed growth beautifully.

  • If pruning back severely, do this at the end of winter, after the blooming

Learn more about winter honeysuckle, Lonicera standishii

Three flowers opening on a winter honeysuckle branchWinter honeysuckle, or Lonicera standishii, is a bushy shrub that produces delicately fragrant flowers in winter.

This plant boasts white flowers that will decorate our gardens in winter, either planted in the ground or in pots.

Although the foliage is evergreen, in colder climates it is only partially evergreen, and might lose some of its leaves.

Smart tip about winter honeysuckle, Lonicera standishii

Winter honeysuckles are also perfectly suited to shaping into a hedge.


Image credits (edits Gaspard Lorthiois): woff
CC BY-SA 2.0: Steve Law
CC BY 2.0: Dr Mary Gillham Archive Project