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Wednesday 22 July 2009

Southern Bush Honeysuckle .. WOW !

Call me crazy .. but the thrill of finding a new plant that I have not come across before, was such a rush for me today .. my interest and enthusiasm spilled way over the edge, so much that the nursery clerk was completely excited for me too : )
Some how I thought I wouldn't have that feeling any more this year since the season is dying down now .. poor bedraggled plants in most garden centers screaming for water or escape from too much water or "please please cut away the dead growth in my pot PLEASE ?!"
You know what I am talking about ... those dying left over plants that need TLC and a home that will appreciate them .. love them .. care for them .. plant them again in mother earth ?
So .. when I find a plant I hadn't heard of before .. I haven't seen on the net, which amazes me because I spend all winter hunting plants and garden information down .. well it isn't that I think I know every plant, but I do know my fair share ? ... This may be a common one to many of you out there however it is a whole new ball of wax for me and I am loving it !
In case you are wondering about the other potted plant .. it is a white Siberian Iris .. I couldn't help myself with that one either ... go figure ??
Southern Bush Honeysuckle aka "Diervilla Splendens (x)" ... it came in a green leafed variety and this amazing bronze copper colour .. in fact I didn't know about this colour until the nursery clerk said she would find a "good" one for me, as I meandered around the plants screaming to be taken home ? .. I had a choice of what colour foliage I liked best .. the flowers are done for the year but it didn't matter to me because I loved it the minute I saw it .. do you still feel like that too ? .. that butterfly tickle in your stomach .. that "YES !!! I'll take that home !!" feeling ??
As I said it might be very common depending on where you live and what is available.
This is a new plant to me and having it look great for 3 out of 4 seasons is wonderful .. It is very hardy .. zone 4 .. disease and insect resistant .. light requirements from shade to sun .. Autumn colour is going to be a huge wow ! to look forward to. An all round great little shrub for my garden.
How pretty are these leaves I ask you ?
It provides a wonderful contrast colour to just about any plant .. it is a native species plant, so it is noninvasive unlike the common wild honeysuckle bush .

Can you tell me you can resist this little gem ? It will help offset your carbon footprint ;-)

23 comments:

Kathleen said...

That is a beauty Joy. I'm not familiar with it either but I'd definitely be interested if I saw it at the greenhouse. I hope it likes it in your garden but then again, I'm sure it will. You with the green thumb (ie the Maypop) My vine is still sitting. I'm almost ready to toss it. (not really). But I've definitely not figured out its optimum planting conditions, that's for sure. If only I can get it going before fall, I think I'll be safe.... If you have any tips, please share!

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Joy, that is beautiful. Wish you could send me a cutting. I've never seen it around here.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Looks like a great plant for you! I too love that foliage.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Awesome! I have not heard of this plant. It is going to shine in your garden!!!! Congrats on your new baby(-:
I am still sick.)-: I got my daughters virus and its been a drag. Hopefully will feel better soon so I can get back in the swing of things!

Gail said...

I love it. Love the color of leaves and love the shrub! We have a diervilla that's native in TN. Lucky you to have that one with delightful coloring...Yes, I still get that rush and just the other day brought a few cute echinaceas home with me. I'll be planting most of the fall and winter. Zone 7 has one or two advantages. gail

VW said...

Very lovely, Joy. The leaf color is wonderful. How large is it supposed to grow? Enjoy the new purchase.

F Cameron said...

I like it! I've not seen it around here, but now I'll have to find it. That's not like the invasive honeysuckle.... and yours is deer resistant!

Great find!
thanks,
Cameron

tina said...

It's a really pretty color for sure. I've never seen it before.

Sunita Mohan said...

Ooooh! Yes! I would've grabbed that beauty too. I dont think I've seen them here but there are plants which look quite similar so I'm wondering whether they're from the same family. It does look quite deliciously yummy next to your other plants (are those begonias?).Lucky you!
And yes, I do know about those butterflies ... a whole flock of them take wing in me when I see a must-have plant :)

Garden Lily said...

I wouldn't have resisted either. The Diervilla is gorgeous - I love that bronzy red colour.

gittan said...

I understand completely! That's a lovely shrub with a great looking foliage you've found / gittan

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Kathleen girl !
I'm wondering what on earth is making your Maypop so darn stubborn ? .. don't toss it girl .. and even if it doesn't do anything more than stay alive .. make sure you do plant it is the garden and mulch it well, because it may just surprise the 'heck" out of you and take off next year !
I may have all this growth now and then nothing next year .. we really can't tell until we go through the winter cycle Kathleen .. so don't give up hope girl ! I just have it in the sun for most of the day (it is in a raised bed by the deck) .. winter will let us know if it can survive our zone in the end .. hang in girl !

Hey Debbie : ) .. if I could get away with it I would .. maybe ask around your fellow master gardeners and see if they know of it in your area ? .. let me know what you hear ?

Janet it does hve gorgeous foliage doesn't it ? .. looks ready for Autumn colouring right now in fact !

Hi Sheila .. it struck me light a lighting bolt girl ! haha

Cindee girl .. my goodness what a rotten bug to have .. are you taking vit C and echinacea supplements to fight it ? lots of soothing herbal teas can help flush it out too ! Hope you feel better soon !

Gail ... girl I figured that you would have one of these over there : ) I feel in love with it straight away ! .. and you just had to rub it in about being able to plant right through the seasons .. you are NAUGHTY !!!!! LOL .. now stop that !!!

Hi VW .. it will stay to what ever size you want it to be by a little pruning (I have a thing for pruning) .. but in general I think it is on the small to medium size scale .. perfect for my garden : )

Thanks Cameron .. I just can't get over not seeing it before .. I hadn't stopped at this place often and now I'm wondering what else have I missed ?? LOL

Tina girl .. I thought if anyone has seen this you would have .. now that is interesting ! It is a little beauty isn't it ? : )

Sunita ! ... that is so true about the butterfly flock taking over girl ! haha .. there may be closely related plants in your area .. the plants next to it are heuchera, quite different looking aren't they ; )

Hello Garden Lily .. I'm still waiting for mine to open in fact !
That colour hit me straight away, so there was nochance of me leaving without it ! : )

Hello there gittan .. YES ! that common bond of plant lust ? haha .. when we see one we like we have to tell each other don't we ? LOL

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

AMAZING JOY! Of course you can't resist this gorgeous plant. Who can? I'm shamelessly weak. I would have scooped up that pretty plant and taken it home too. Enjoy!

tina said...

Yes, a real beauty. And when I read the title of the post I thought Southern bush honeysuckle? I do not recognize it and we have tons of bush honeysuckle here so you got a sweet little neat plant.

RURAL said...

I have never seen it before either, and it is gorgeous. Love that color, can you imagine it this fall? Oh baby.

Jen

Rose said...

This is a new plant to me, too, Joy, and what a beauty! No, I wouldn't have been able to resist it, either; in fact, I'm going to look for it the next time I'm at the garden center. That bronze/red foliage is going to be a real eye-catcher in your garden.

Steve said...

There is a far more standard variety of Honeysuckle - with red blooms - I used to plant and I would guarantee a Hummingbird within 24 hours or I would give it away. I never had to do that. Talk about reliable. That one is absolutely gorgeous, with that reddish foliage. Really cool plant!

Linda said...

What a gorgeous plant Joy, haven't heard of it before. I'm just catching up on comments and visiting blogs as we've been up in Ottawa most of the week. I'm going to look for this plant ... gorgeous colours on the leaves.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Martha ... You are going to have to see this place at our end of the city .. it has unusual plants and for some reason I hadn't been there much this season but I am so glad I caught up with it now for this little wonder !

Tina .. I bet the green leaf variety I saw too was your honeysuckle standard there .. but next to this colour I wouldn't think it was the same one either .. it is a beauty eh ? ;-)

Jen , you think the way I do girl ! It will be a beautiful hit of colour almost any time won't it ? but Autumn is going to be brilliant : )

Rose .. I was bewitched ? LOL by the colour straight away .. I had no idea about the plant in general but to have this variation in colour was a huge bonus ! : )

Hello there Steve ! .. This one is supposed to have yellow flowers and does note that Hummingbirds love it .. so I am more than happy to provide them this treat ? LOL
This is one of those plants that stand out in "plant hinting" for the season ? and I didn't even "hunt" for it ; )

Hey there Linda .. Do you go to "Simple Country Pleasures" nursery in Napannee ? .. I'm not sure if it is still running this late in the season but it usually had a great selection of different plants there .. I'm so glad I dropped by this place and found a surprise ! LOL

Carrie said...

Utterly gorgeous, never heard of it but then again I'm in Northern Ireland and usually have to be dragged around nurseries here, they are tiny and poorly stocked. Plus most of them focus more on candles and cafes than plants! Enjoy your new purchase(s) I hope they do you proud x

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Carrie .. you need to be "let loose" in a real nursery ? LOL .. I bet you would take days having a good look around. When we lived in Holland I couldn't get over the diversity to what they had in garden centers there just as you said , candles to cafes .. but with plants .. it was amazing.
I just planted this one today and I already think next Spring I'll probably move it again to a better situation .. I really do wish plants would come with training wheels ? till I get it right ? LOL

Andrea said...

OMG I have that TOO. That feeling only I have it everyday when I work!!! GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes... I'm alive. It took me awhile to resurrect myself but damn if i'm not busy keeping the plants looking good. See Joy, you should come to our garden centre where everything ALWAYS looks good 100% of the time (thats why people come to us! because no matter what time of the year, our plants look amazing!).

Anyways, I LOVE what you bought. I LOVE IT> IM JEALOUS SEND ME ONE *CRIES*.

Seriously, I'm not drunk but since i've got a garden, now I'm all like I MUST HAVE THIS NOW OR I"LL NEVER GET IT syndrome. It's an awful thing to have. Awful, just awful.

you should sympathize with me. Seriously? we need to get together because I have a feeling we would talk plants endlessly and we need to go shopping for plants hah!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Andrea .. you CRAZY girl ! hahaha
I think you are way over tired and need a good holiday to decompress from plant-MANIA ? hehehe
Yes .. I had a feeling there are nurseries out there that are as near to perfection as possible .. I would love to see yours some day kid ;-)
Funny .. once you are bitten by the plant bug, and even though you work in that atmosphere all the time .. it never lets up does it ?
Yes .. I can just imagine if we went plant shopping together what would happen .. we would both have to buy new homes with huge yards to accomidate ALL of our garden kids just on the first trip .. god knows what we are supposed to do with all the plants from the second, third ... and so on trips .. maybe open our own garden nursery but we wouldn't be able to sell our garden kids .. catch 22??
Now go to be and get some SLEEP !!LOL