HUNTSVILLE, Alabama-- I am curious about this shrub with the beautiful red berries. It just seems to have appeared in our yard and grown to over 6 feet tall. It has white to yellow flowers that are fragrant and then these beautiful red fruits in the fall. What is it, how big will it grow and is it something I want to keep? Thank you. - Sharon T.
Yes, those red berries surely are pretty and I assure you that they are quite an attractor to our bird population but just because something (in this case a plant) has a really beautiful façade it may be hiding some deep, dark secrets. The secret this particular shrub is hiding is that it is considered one of our worst invasive plants that we have to deal with in North Alabama.
Your volunteer shrub is one of the bush honeysuckles (Lonicera sp. Lon-ISS-er-a ) that are literally taking over many of our natural areas. The bush honeysuckles and Chinese privet have proven to be much more damaging and harder to control than even the poster child for invasive plants - kudzu.
I call this plant one of the bush honeysuckles for it could be one of three types that are growing here. Lonicera maackii, the Amur honeysuckle, grows 12 to 15 feet tall into literally a small tree with white to yellow flowers and bright red berries. Bell's honeysuckle (L. x bella) grows 8 to 10 feet tall and broad with similar flowers and fruit. The last possibility is the Tatarian honeysuckle (L. tatarica), which grows 10 to 12 feet tall with numerous stems creating an arching growth habit. Numerous cultivars of the Tatarian honeysuckle have been released, but today we consider this ornamental undesirable for planting. Regardless of which species it is I would say that it is not a good plant for you to have in your garden.
What makes this plant such an invasive threat is the proliferation of red fruits produced each year. Birds will generally leave these alone for most of the winter (good for us as far as viewing) and then gobble them up in February or March. As birds eat the pulpy mass, the seed is dropped any and everywhere and since the germination rate is so high, new plants are found in many places.
Honeysuckles have a very rapid growth rate and the ability to send up numerous shoots from their roots, thus making dense thickets in many areas and shading out other plant species. This can be very detrimental when allowed to grow unchecked in natural areas (many of the properties under the management of the Land Trust of North Alabama or Monte Sano State Park), thus choking out many native species.
For many this presents quite a conundrum for we want to provide good food sources for our migratory birds and this does just that. However, the consequences of new plants sprouting up everywhere outweigh the desirability as a good wildlife food source. Better selections for birds would include the winterberry holly, serviceberry, craneberry bush, rusty blackhaw, American beautyberry, Grancy gray beard and our native dogwood. There are many native plants that provide colorful fruits for our enjoyment as well as being a food source for birds.
To remove this shrub may take a bit of doing; it has quite an extensive root system. I imagine it is too large to dig up so I would cut it down to ground level and then paint the exposed stump (or cluster of stems) with a brush killer herbicide containing glyphosate. This can be done now. In the spring look for new shoots emerging from old roots and spray them with glyphosate as well. Be persistent and it will go away.
Things to do right now:
Check soil temperatures before planting tulips; it's best to wait until temperature drops below 60 degrees F.
Fertilize fescue lawns at the rate of one pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet.
Store tender summer bulbs and tubers like dahlias and caladiums (also elephant ears and cannas) in dry peat moss in a cool, dark spot with low humidity; a basement or garage may be perfect.
Harvey Cotten is the chief horticulturist and vice president at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Email or write c/o The Huntsville Times, P.O. Box 1487, West Station, Huntsville 35807.