Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima
Lonicera fragrantissima
- Exposures
- Sun, Half-shade
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 6a (-23.3°C ≤ T° < -20.6°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Family
- Caprifoliaceae
- Genus
- Honeysuckle Lonicera
- Species
- Winter honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima
Other name:Xylosteon fragrantissimum
We don't know whether Lonicera fragrantissima is the most fragrant of the honeysuckles. But one thing is certain: in mid-winter, when lilacs, wisteria and roses are at rest, winter honeysuckle perfumes the garden with its intense, bewitching fragrance.
How to recognize winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima?
Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is 2.5 meters tall and has a slightly wider spread. It is a branched shrub with an arching, bushy, drooping habit.
Young shoots have coppery bark, which turns gray with age.
The elliptical leaves, 5 to 7 cm long, are medium green above and lighter on the reverse. Their veins are slightly pubescent and their margins finely waxy. Foliage is deciduous or semi-evergreen, depending on the climate: in mild winters, the leaves stay on; in very cold weather, they fall off and reappear in spring.
Winter honeysuckle blooms between December and March. The white flowers, sometimes delicately tinged with pale pink, appear in pairs. Although no larger than 1.5 cm, they give off a fragrance reminiscent of jasmine, perceptible from several meters away.
After flowering, winter honeysuckle produces red, oblong berries that are eaten by birds.
Is winter honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima toxic?
The toxicity of honeysuckle is still relatively unknown. It is therefore advisable to be vigilant in the presence of children and animals, to prevent them from ingesting the plant.
The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. Eating them can cause digestive problems, the severity of which depends on the quantity ingested.
Our care tips
If your Lonicera fragrantissima is balding, prune it severely at the beginning of winter. The plant will recover in spring.
Watering
Water the base of your Lonicera fragrantissima 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 year in the spring, repot your Lonicera fragrantissima 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 fragrantissima. Add substrate, compact and water generously.
Fertilization
To promote the growth of your Lonicera fragrantissima, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.
Apply flowering plant fertilizer to stimulate flowering.
Prune
Remove dead branches and shoots that you don't want to grow.
If you want to control the shape and development of your Lonicera fragrantissima, shorten a quarter of the branches by half.
Always use a clean, sharp tool, such as secateurs, and cut at an angle five millimeters above a bud.
Planting
A few days before planting, prepare the soil onan area approximately four times the size of the root ball of your Lonicera fragrantissima:
- Spade ;
- Remove stones, roots and weeds;
- Add compost and universal potting soil to enrich the soil.
Soak the root ball at Lonicera fragrantissima. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the root ball. Plant your Lonicera fragrantissima. 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.
Taking cuttings
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.
Plant your graft in a pierced pot lined witha rich, light substrate, such as potting soil with sand.
Install the cutting in a mini greenhouse. If you don't have one, you can cover it with a translucent bottle. Remember to aerate regularly and mist the soil if it dries out.
Frequently asked questions
Where to plant winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima?
Winter honeysuckle appreciates sunny exposure, which favors abundant, fragrant flowering. Mid-shade is preferable to avoid drying out in regions with very hot summers.
Be sure to maintain a minimum distance of 80 cm from other plants when planting, to allow the shrub to develop freely.
How tall is Lonicera fragrantissima?
Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is at best 2.5 meters high. However, it can reach a spread of 3 meters.
Does honeysuckle keep its leaves in winter?
It all depends on the variety and climate. Some species, like Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) or japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), retain their foliage in mild winters, but lose it when temperatures drop.
Others, like lonicera nitida (Lonicera ligustrina var. Yunnanensis), are evergreen all year round.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Exposures
- SunHalf-shade
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting methods
- Open groundIn potsIn tubs
- Tags
- BeginnerFloweryHardyToxic
- Origin
- East Asia
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 6a (-23.3°C ≤ T° < -20.6°C)
- Leaf colors
- Dark greenLight green
- Flower colors
- WhiteRose
- Fruit color
- Red
Discover plants from the same family
Japanese honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Lonicera nitida
Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis
Wood honeysuckle
Lonicera periclymenum subsp. periclymenum
Tartarian honeysuckle
Lonicera tatarica
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