Diervilla lonicera (Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle)
Diervilla lonicera (Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle)
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$30 minimum per species for seed.
$30 minimum per species for seed.
Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.
Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) refers to the percentage of a seed lot that consists of the desired species and is viable (capable of germination).
Here's why PLS is crucial for native seeds:
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Accurate Planting:
- PLS helps determine the actual number of viable seeds in a given weight or volume of seed.
- This ensures you plant the correct amount of seed to achieve the desired density and success rate.
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Cost-Effectiveness:
- By knowing the PLS, you can avoid overspending on seed that may not germinate.
- This is especially important for native seeds, which can be more expensive than some cultivated varieties.
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Weed Control:
- PLS helps minimize the presence of weed seeds within the seed lot.
- This reduces competition for resources and ensures the successful establishment of the desired native plants.
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Ecological Restoration:
- Using high-quality native seeds with a high PLS is essential for successful ecological restoration projects.
- It helps to re-establish diverse and resilient plant communities that support local wildlife.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Northern bush honeysuckle forms a low shrub with yellow flowers and gradually expanding stems. Well-drained, relatively dry ground in partial shade suits it.
Sun exposure for Diervilla lonicera: light to partial shade; full shade tolerated. Soil conditions: average to dry; well-drained. Recorded habitats include dry sandy or rocky forests and woods; Shoreline and cliff-side woodland borders; Old dunes; Sandy bluffs; Thickets. Reported height: 1–3 ft.
Growth habit: small, rounded shrub that suckers freely and slowly forms broad thickets. Allow space for this growth between neighboring plants over several seasons, rather than spacing only for the size of a young plant.
Plant specifications & ecological relationships
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Light to partial shade; full shade tolerated |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Average to dry; well-drained |
| Height | 1–3 ft |
| Bloom season | Peak bloom in early June to early July; flowers may persist into August (Michigan observations) |
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Small, rounded shrub that suckers freely and slowly forms broad thickets |
|---|---|
| Root form | Rhizomes |
| Soil pH | Slightly acidic soil described in the guide; numerical pH limits are not established |
| Drought tolerance | Drought tolerance reported; degree is not quantified |
| Salt tolerance | None |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Diervilla lonicera |
|---|---|
| Other common names | dwarf honeysuckle |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary. |
| Plant family | Diervillaceae |
Plant characteristics
Not many native shrubs are lower growing, are tolerant of abuse from salt, and provide a nice foliar texture. Diervilla lonicera (Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle) aims to please with dark green and lush leaves that turn a nice shade of red in the fall plus it can tolerate the worst conditions in parking lot island and roadside plantings. Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle has dainty yellow flowers from early to mid-summer that serve a wide range of pollinators from butterflies to humming.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
| Wetland indicator — Corps Chicago 2017 table | UPL |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 10 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Connecticut; Delaware; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Tennessee; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin |
| County nativity | Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity. |
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Other documented plant associations
These published associations show how this plant fits into natural vegetation. The region and community are identified for each list; moisture, shade and flooding can differ within a community.
Shrubs in sugar-maple forests
Sugar maple commercial range in eastern North America; differing forest types
Widely reported shrub and ground-layer associates
Species-range synthesis; differing forest and woodland types
- Alnus incana subsp. rugosa (Speckled alder)
- Alnus viridis subsp. crispa
- Aralia nudicaulis
- Aster macrophyllus
- Cornus alternifolia (Pagoda Dogwood)
- Corylus cornuta
- Gaultheria procumbens
- Maianthemum canadense
- Pteridium aquilinum
- Vaccinium spp.
Other regional plant communities
These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.
- Forest shrubs and ground flora (Northern North America; account synthesis): Corylus cornuta, Cornus alternifolia, Alnus rugosa, Gaultheria procumbens, Vaccinium spp., Maianthemum canadense, Aster macrophyllus, Aralia nudicaulis, Pteridium aquilinum.
- Spruce and mixed-conifer understory (Boreal North America): Eurybia macrophylla.
- Dry white-pine understory (Eastern North America): Pinus strobus.
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Butterflies & skippers
- Celastrina lucia — Lucia Azure
Moths
- Hemaris aethra
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle?
Diervilla lonicera performs best in full sun with dry to dry-mesic (sandy slopes, rocky woods & bluffs) conditions. It thrives in authentic regional soil types ranging from sandy loam to well-drained clay loams.
How do I germinate and establish Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle from seed?
Seed of Diervilla lonicera has a germination code of Code A (no pre-treatment required). Seeds can be sown directly in spring into warm, prepared soil.
Is Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle deer and herbivore resistant?
Yes. Native plants adapted to Midwestern habitats naturally produce protective secondary compounds and fibrous textures that make them highly resistant to deer, rabbits, and other grazing herbivores.
When should I expect Dwarf Bush-honeysuckle to emerge and bloom?
Established plants break dormancy in spring as soil temperatures warm, developing vigorous foliage before blooming in their seasonal window to provide vital nectar when native pollinators need it most.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Chicago-region assessment: Wilhelm & Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region, via Kenneth Johnson’s Universal FQA dataset (2018). Chicago-region native status is separate from U.S. nativity.
The C-value and Chicago-region native status shown here also agree with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago Region FQA dataset (2017), distributed through the USACE/ERDC fqadata package under CC0.
Flora of the Chicago Region (2017) records this taxon as native in the Chicago region.
The state list describes native botanical distribution. It does not establish county nativity or occurrence, suitability for every site, or the origin of the plants and seeds offered here. An unlisted state is not proof of absence.
Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.
State and county nativity: The state list uses WCVP records marked native, excluding introduced, extinct and doubtful records. County nativity has not yet been verified for this listing. Presence in a county or preserve does not establish nativity there.
Documented plant associations: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service — dielon; sugar maple. Regions and community contexts are retained in the lists above. Federal botanical facts summarized in original wording; no photographs reproduced.
Available Flora-linked Chicago assessments remain controlling. These regional ecology accounts supplement evidence not available for direct reuse from the Flora; they are not represented as Chicago Flora association lists.
Plant communities: USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (FEIS): Diervilla lonicera; Eurybia macrophylla; Pinus strobus. Selected association facts regrouped in original wording; regional scope retained. No source photographs or captions reproduced.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
C-value source: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), Universal FQA database 80. Matched source taxon: Diervilla lonicera. Exact.
Sources checked September 5, 2026. Regional assessments and growing observations apply to their stated settings. Unverified fields are omitted; missing information does not mean an ecological relationship is absent.
- Patrick Goggin — Wisconsin Guide to Native Plants. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Drought Tolerance; Height; Opening botanical description; Primary Native Habitats; Soil Moisture Range; Soil pH Range; Spread Habit; Sun Exposure; Sunlight Exposure. Source locators: page=22.
- USDA Forest Service — FEIS, wildflower accounts and seed manual. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Bloom Season; Root Architecture & Depth.
- Universal FQA — Flora-linked Chicago database 80. Taxonomic names, family and regional nativity originally checked against Kenneth Johnson’s Flora-linked database 80 (2018), citing Wilhelm & Rericha (2017). Limited factual identification only; the C-value follows this Flora-linked database wherever an exact or documented synonym match is available. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Botanical Name; Chicago-region native status; Plant Family.
- USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Supports: Wetland Indicator Status.
- USDA NRCS PLANTS — taxon profile and characteristics. USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, checked September 5, 2026. Numeric and categorical taxon-level facts only; no photographs or third-party guide prose reproduced. Supports: Germination Code; Salt Tolerance.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Historical botanical names remain visible where used by the source. These regional accounts supplement the available Chicago Flora evidence.
Reusable research data
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Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
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Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
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- If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready. In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments
- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
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Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
- Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
- Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
- Water your plants
- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
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- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
There is a minimum order requirement of $30 for each seed species. Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance. We hope you find it helpful. If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.
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