Lonicera crassifolia

The Lonicera crassifolia is a low, very dense, evergreen bush honeysuckle, coloured bronze to red in winter, which forms an attractive ground cover in all seasons. It is also a valuable plant for greening areas of the garden or where the soil is mediocre and poor, often challenging to develop. Its generous cream-yellow flowering, washed with pink in summer, gives way to numerous blue-black berries that remain until winter. Very hardy, this accommodating little shrub will impact a rockery, as a border plant or even in a container on the terrace.

The Lonicera crassifolia belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. It is the wild parent of the pretty variety 'Little Honey', better known to gardeners. This small, creeping, compact honeysuckle is very robust and native to the Himalayas. With a prostrate habit, composed of long branches running along the surface of the ground, it reaches about 10 cm in height, and will occupy 50 to 60 cm in width. Its growth is relatively slow, and its vegetation is well-branched. Its dense and bushy habit will be maintained or accentuated by regular pruning. Its small, tough, rounded evergreen leaves are glossy and green until summer. With the arrival of cold weather, they turn bronze, becoming red in colder temperatures. Flowering takes place from June to August, depending on the climate, for approximately one month. The small flowers are produced abundantly. They are tiny honeysuckle flowers, pale yellowish-white to cream, which take on a pink shade at the base over time. The small purple-red fruits, almost black, are toxic to humans but appreciated by birds.

The Lonicera crassifolia combines usefulness with beauty, especially in poor soils. It will elegantly cover the ground along the edge of a sunny flower bed in a rockery and dress up pretty pots for the terrace. It has only one requirement: well-drained soil, but not too dry in summer. It can be planted on a large slope as ground cover at a rate of 1 to 2 plants per square metre. For example, pair it with a dwarf conifer like the Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip', a dwarf Holly Ilex meserveae 'Little Rascal', a variegated Lonicera nitida 'Lemon Beauty' ... and play with contrasts to brighten up an area of the garden. It is also an adorable little plant, slightly climbing, dense and finely textured, which adheres to cracks and crevices.