Landscape Alternatives

These native plants are great substitutes for any of the exotic invasive bush honeysuckles in the landscape.

Spicebush, Lindera benzion, a shrub for moist shade (4-10 ft.), flowers in late March or early April for spring bees. Female shrubs produce shiny red fruit high in fat. They are loved by many birds and ripen at peak migration. This shrub is larval food for the spicebush swallowtail.

Fringe Tree, Chionanthus virginicus, is a small tree or large shrub that features showy flowers with strappy white petals and a honey fragrance. Female trees bear blue fruit in summer that attract birds.

Southern Bush Honeysuckle, Diervilla sessilifolia, is a native shrub with clusters of small yellow to orange tubular flowers in early summer. It has a fairly tough constitution, adaptable to any well-drained situation, even dry rocky sites in sun. It is shade tolerant and attractive to bees and butterflies.

Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is a large shrub to small tree with fragrant yellow flowers in fall and great fall foliage color. Ozark Witch Hazel, H. vernalis, produces fragrant orange flowers in late winter or early spring. Attract birds.

Red Chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia, and Black Chokeberry, A. melanocarpa, are shrubs that produce clusters of white fragrant flowers in spring, red or black fruit that last through winter, and great fall color. Attracts bees and birds.

American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is a shrub with axillary clusters of pink flowers in summer and bright purplish magenta fruit in fall. Attracts bees and birds.

Mapleleaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium a shrub, and Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum, V. rufidulum a tree, produce showy clusters of white flowers in spring, black fruit in fall, and great fall foliage color. Attract bees, birds, and butterflies.

Flame Azalea, Rhododendron calendulaceum, and Sweet Azalea, R. arborescens, are just two of Tennessee's wonderful native azaleas with showy fragrant flowers and great fall color. Attractive to butterflies.

Other plants similar to Lonicera fragrantissima Lindl. & Paxton:

Diervilla sessilifolia
Lonicera spp.
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus