Honeysuckle (Lonicera ×notha): What You Need to Know Before Planting
If you’ve stumbled across Lonicera ×notha in your plant research, you might be wondering what exactly this honeysuckle hybrid brings to the garden table. While honeysuckles can be absolutely lovely additions to landscapes, this particular species comes with some important considerations that every gardener should understand before making a planting decision.
What is Lonicera ×notha?
Lonicera ×notha is a hybrid honeysuckle species – that little × symbol tells us it’s a cross between two other honeysuckle species. This perennial shrub typically grows as a multi-stemmed woody plant, usually staying under 13 to 16 feet in height, though it can sometimes grow taller or develop a single stem depending on environmental conditions.
Native Status and Geographic Distribution
Here’s where things get a bit complex. Lonicera ×notha is not native to North America – it’s an introduced species that has established itself in the wild and reproduces without human intervention. Currently, it’s been documented growing in Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Wisconsin.
The fact that this non-native plant can reproduce and persist on its own raises some questions about its impact on local ecosystems, though specific invasive status information isn’t readily available for this particular hybrid.
The Challenge with This Honeysuckle
Here’s the thing about Lonicera ×notha – there’s surprisingly little detailed information available about this specific hybrid. We know it’s a shrub, we know where it grows, and we know it’s not native, but details about its growth habits, care requirements, and ecological impact are scarce in horticultural literature.
This lack of information is actually pretty telling. When a plant species has limited cultivation information available, it often means it’s either not commonly grown in gardens or it’s not particularly noteworthy from a horticultural standpoint.
Should You Plant It?
Given the limited information available and the fact that this is a non-native species with unknown invasive potential, most gardeners would be better served by choosing well-documented native alternatives or well-behaved non-native honeysuckles with established track records.
If you’re drawn to honeysuckles for your garden, consider these better-documented options:
- Native honeysuckles like Lonicera canadensis (American fly honeysuckle) or Lonicera villosa (mountain fly honeysuckle)
- Well-behaved cultivated varieties of non-invasive honeysuckle species
- Other native flowering shrubs that provide similar aesthetic appeal
Growing Conditions and Care
Unfortunately, specific growing condition requirements for Lonicera ×notha aren’t well documented. Based on its presence in several Midwestern and Northeastern states, it likely tolerates a range of conditions, but without detailed cultivation information, successful growing would involve some guesswork.
The Bottom Line
While Lonicera ×notha might seem intriguing as a honeysuckle option, the combination of limited horticultural information, non-native status, and unknown ecological impact makes it a questionable choice for most gardens. When there are so many well-documented, beautiful native and non-invasive alternatives available, why take the gamble?
Your garden – and your local ecosystem – will likely be happier with a honeysuckle species that comes with clear growing instructions, known benefits, and a proven track record of playing well with others in the landscape.
