European fly honeysuckle is a large, rounded shrub with arching branches and blue-to-gray green foliage. A popular, old-fashioned shrub used for hedges and screening.
Size and form:
This is a rounded, spreading shrub with arching branches, reaching 8 to 10 feet high and 10 to 12 feet wide.
Native geographic location and habitat:
This is native to eastern and western Siberia
Bark color and texture:
The bark is gray, with pubescent stems and brown pith.
Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture:
Leaves are opposite, grow broadly elliptic to ovate, and 1 to 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide. They have a rounded base, are slightly pubescent, and the leaves are light gray-green changing to yellow green in fall.
Flower arrangement, shape, and size:
Flowers are inconspicuous, whitish-yellow flowers, and are borne in pairs.
Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:
This shrub produces dark red berries.
Plant care:
Grows best in full sun to part shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. Old shrubs can be pruned to ground to rejuvenate them.
List of pests, diseases, and tolerances:
This plant is prone to honeysuckle aphid, plant bug, leaf spots, and powdery mildew. It is resistant to deer and black walnut toxicity.
Clavey’s Dwarf honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteoides ‘Clavey’s Dwarf’):
This hybrid of European fly honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum) and Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) reaches 6 feet high and wide.
Compact European fly-honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum ‘Compacta’):
This variety is similar to the species.
