Lonicera Tatarica Honeysuckle Benefits
Honeysuckle is a popular garden plant with striking, trumpet-shaped flowers. But since there are more than 180 different species of honeysuckle, gardeners need to learn their characteristics to choose the one most suited to their garden. Some honeysuckles are shrubs and others are vines; they are generally enthusiastic growers, so much so that some species have become troublesome weeds that should not be planted. Many people like Lonicera tatarica, the tatarian honeysuckle, best of all; let's learn more about this species. Does this Spark an idea?
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Description
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Lonicera tatarica is a shrub that grows 10 to 12 feet high and wide. This species originated in Central Asia and southern Russia and has been cultivated in gardens since the 18th century. It is an upright, multi-stemmed, bushy plant, very dense and twiggy. The upper branches arch over. It has bluish-green leaves, blooms profusely in spring, and produces red berries after the flowers in late spring and summer.
Different Varieties
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Tatarian honeysuckle has been in cultivation for so long that many different varieties have been developed by breeders. There is a dwarf version only 3 feet tall, also varieties with flowers in colors including white, dark red and many shades of pink, and kinds with yellow and orange fruits instead of red ones. Many people consider this the best honeysuckle simply because there are so many different colors from which to choose.
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Too Enthusiastic?
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Unfortunately, Tatarian honeysuckle has become a weed in many areas, and should therefore not be planted unless you are certain it is not a problem where you live. Even if you are responsible about pruning your plant and keeping it within bounds, you can't control the birds. They will eat the honeysuckle's fruits and "plant" its seeds far and wide, to become a weed in other areas.
There are many other species of honeysuckle which are not such rampant growers and might be preferable to this one, including the native American species Lonicera sempervirens and its hybrid Lonicera x heckrottii. The species plant evolved here and is therefore well-tuned to American ecosystems; both honeysuckles grow well here without overwhelming other plants.
Aphids
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Tatarian honeysuckle is also susceptible to attacks by the Russian aphid, an insect that eats new leaves and growing tips of the plant, distorting the plant and causing "witch's brooms" to form.
Advantageous?
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All things considered, Tatarian honeysuckle may not be the best honeysuckle to plant in your garden. In the words of eminent plant writer Michael Dirr, "this is essentially an outmoded plant, akin to the Edsel of deciduous shrubs." Although it was the favorite of an earlier time, the discovery of its drawbacks and the advantages of other kinds now suggest that other honeysuckles might make better garden choices.
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