Bush Honeysuckle Must GO!!

Since I started my garden a year ago, I have been committed to filling the landscape with mostly native plants and those that can attract wildlife such as birds, bees and butterflies. Definitely I am seeing results and yesterday alone, I saw 3 different species of birds visiting my bird bath within only an hour time frame. Still, I am not a die hard "nativism" adherent, and so far I have not ripped out any plant simply because it is not a native. My large fan-shaped Euonymous Alatas (i.e. Burning Bush) is so lovely and fitting in its place, that I have respect for this plant despite its less-than-ideal reputation for being invasive.


However, the Bush Honeysuckle is a whole different story. I like the fragrant flowers, I like the nice lime green color of the leaves when Fall arrives, I like the mildly weeping habit of this understory plant, but I DO NOT like the crazy amount of seedlings that are sprouting up everywhere! They are hard to yank out, and now I clearly see why Bush Honeysuckle is such a threat to woodland areas. I plan to replace it with Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringe Tree), an attractive native with a very unique look while in flower. I will not regret saying goodbye to the Honeysuckle.