Oregon Grape vs Northern Bush Honeysuckle - TreeTime.ca

Oregon Grape vs Northern Bush Honeysuckle

Diervilla lonicera

Berberis aquifolium (Mahonia aquifolium)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Bush Honeysuckle
Oregon Grape

The Northern Bush Honeysuckle is a small, dense, deciduous shrub. The trumpet-like yellow flowers bloom late spring to early summer. Dark green leaves turn yellow then red in the fall. The flower nectar has a sweet honey taste that can be sucked out of the flower.

Because of its aggressive suckering habit, the Northern Bush Honeysuckle makes a great hedge, shrub border, or thicket in a woodland garden.

Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrub native to North America, found along the Pacific coast. In spring, the bright golden-yellow flowers appear in clusters above the leaves. These flowers eventually give way to edible blue berries in late summer. While not a true grape, the berries appear grape-like due to their colouring and clustered growth. They can be eaten fresh, but the sour taste and high amounts of natural pectin make them well suited for preserves.

The Oregon Grape has leaves that are glossy, leathery, and spiny-edged. This feature gives it its alternate name of Holly-leaved Barberry. When the leaves emerge in the spring they are a bronze-red colour. In the summer they transition to green, followed by bright red to deep burgundy in the fall. Leaves are retained throughout the winter and colder temperatures cause the leaves to turn purplish bronze, providing year round interest to the landscape.

Northern Bush Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Oregon Grape Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: shade, partial shade
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: bright red to deep burgundy
Flowers: yellow to red
Flowers: yellow
Berries: blue to purple, large
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: low bush honeysuckle