Flowers Lonicera nitida
Honeysuckle Lonicera nitida
Toxic berries honeysuckle Lonicera nitida
Honeysuckle leaves Lonicera nitida
Lonicera nitida flowering honeysuckle
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Lonicera nitida, a shrubby honeysuckle
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Scientific classification
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Type
Honeysuckle - Lonicera
Species
Lonicera ligustrina
Other names:Lonicera ligustrina subsp. yunnanensis, Lonicera pileata f. yunnanensis, Lonicera pileata var. yunnanensis, Lonicera yunnanensis
In central China grows Lonicera nitida, a shrubby honeysuckle with evergreen foliage and a compact silhouette. Today, it is widely used in gardens all over the world, particularly for creating low hedges.
How to recognize Lonicera nitida?
Lonicera nitida, whose full botanical name is Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis, is a dense, bushy shrub with a compact habit. At maturity, it generally grows to no more than 2 meters in height.
Young shoots are downy and purple-tinged, becoming woody, twisted and brownish over time.
Lonicera nitida has evergreen foliage. Leaves are small (less than 1 cm long), oval to elliptical, dark green on top, with a lighter, shiny green underside.
Flowering takes place in spring. The fragrant white flowers, much smaller than those of japanese Honeysuckle, attract bees.
In autumn, the shrub produces globular, purplish-blue to purple berries, much appreciated by birds.
Is Lonicera nitida honeysuckle toxic?
Little is known about the toxicity of honeysuckles overall, but one point is beyond doubt: the berries of Lonicera nitida are highly toxic. Ingestion can cause serious digestive disorders in both humans and animals (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain).
As a precautionary measure, we strongly recommend keeping young children and pets away not only from the fruit, but also from the foliage.
Our maintenance tips
If your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis is balding, prune it severely at the beginning of winter. The plant will recover in spring.
Watering
Water the base of your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis when the soil has dried by about three centimetres. Your plant likes rainwater, but will also tolerate mains water.
Don't let water stagnate in the planter or saucer. It will rot the roots.
Repotting
Every spring, repot your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis to give it more space.
Choose a perforated pot or a tub at least 50 centimetres deep. You can place clay balls or gravel at the bottom to form a drainage layer.
Pour in universal potting soil. A mixture of garden soil and planting mix may also be suitable. Plant your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis. Add substrate, compact and water generously.
Fertilization
To promote the growth of your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.
Apply flowering plant fertilizer to stimulate flowering.
Prune
Using clean, sharp pruning shears, trim the branches of your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis to control its shape.
Plantation
A few days before planting, prepare the soil onan area approximately four times the size of the root ball of your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis:
- Spade ;
- Remove stones, roots and weeds;
- Add compost and universal potting soil to enrich the soil.
Soak the root ball at Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the root ball. Plant your Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis. Align the surface of the rootball with the soil. Fill in, compact and water.
If you're planting several specimens, to make a hedge, for example, it's advisable to space them at least 50 centimetres apart and plant only one plant per square metre.
Cutting
Choose a healthy, vigorous branch of the year, about 20 centimeters long. It should have at least two layers of leaves.
Using a clean, sharp tool, prune flush with the lower leaves. Remove them. Prune a centimetre above the top leaves.
Prepare a pierced pot of a size suitable for your cutting (about ten centimetres in diameter). Pour a bed of clay marbles into the bottom, followed by a mixture of potting soil for seedlings and cuttings and sand (or perlite). Water generously
Use a pencil or pick to make a pilot hole. Plant your Lonicera nitida.
Cuttings root more easily when smothered. Cover the pot with a transparent plastic bag or place it in a mini greenhouse. If you don't have one, a translucent plastic crate will do.
Place in semi-shade and air for a few minutes each day.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposures | |
| Substrat | |
| Planting methods |
Open ground In pots In tubs |
| Categories | |
| Tags |
Beginner Flowery Rustic Toxic |
| Origins |
Central Asia East Asia |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 6b (-20.6°C ≤ T° < -17.8°C) |
| Leaf color |
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| Flower color |
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| Fruit color |
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