Twining Honeysuckle vs Red Alder - TreeTime.ca

Twining Honeysuckle vs Red Alder

Lonicera dioica

Alnus rubra

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Twining Honeysuckle
Red Alder

Twining Honeysuckle is a vine native to the forests of Canada and the United States.

It can often be found winding up the bark of large trees or spreading out as a ground cover where no supports are present. You will love the attractive, yellow-orange flowers with pink centers which turn into red, inedible berries.

Consider Twining Honeysuckle when trying to achieve a natural, spreading, unkempt look for your garden.

Red Alder is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to western North America. Through its nitrogen-fixing roots and nitrogen-rich leaf litter, Red Alder improves soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding plants. This makes it especially valuable on disturbed sites following logging, construction, or fire. A classic pioneer species, it often colonizes bare ground and enhances conditions for longer-lived conifers to follow.

Red Alder stabilizes soils on streambanks and disturbed slopes, reducing erosion and aiding restoration. It also supports wildlife: birds and small mammals eat the seeds and buds, deer and elk browse the foliage, and bees are drawn to the pollen-rich catkins in spring.

Red Alder also has commercial importance, with its strong yet workable wood widely used for furniture, cabinetry, veneer, and pulp. The tree takes its name from the rusty-red color the bark turns when cut or bruised.

Twining Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Red Alder Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5b
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 15 m (50 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Light: shade, partial shade
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright, rounded to conical
Spreading: seeds - medium, stump sprouting - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Bark: smooth, grey
Flowers: tubular, yellow-orange
Berries: round, red clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: yes


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT
Native to: BC
Other Names: glaucous honeysuckle, limber honeysuckle, wild honeysuckle
Other Names: oregon alder, pacific coast alder, western alder