Lonicera Species, Coast Twinberry, Twinberry Honeysuckle

I find this totally beautiful and hardy yet very underused Lonicera to be one of the best garden subjects I have growing in my botanical ...Read Moregardens. There are two forms of Lonicera involucrata, one with yellow flowers and var. Ledbourii which has reddish orange flowers. The one I have in my gardens is Lonicera involucrata var. Ledbourii. It has very glossy, bright green leaves that are very attractive by themselves. It blooms in late Spring for me and has bright reddish-orange flowers in the leaf axils, these then form into medium sized black berries that are presented in bright red bracts. A very attractive shrubby type of Lonicera that should be used in the home landscape and gardens much more than it currently is. Both forms of this shrub are very hardy. I first saw the yellow flowered one growing in Yellowstone National Park, of all places. At the time, I was a teenager and not familiar with this shrub though it impressed me greatly. Now, I have it growing in one of my botanical gardens here in Minnesota where it grows into a good sized shrub and visitors always want to know what shrub/plant it is because it is so beautiful and not that well known. The berries are a very glossy black and contrast well with the bright red bracts that hold them. Birds and other wildlife love these berries and utilize them when and where found. An extremely hardy, beautiful yet underused shrub that ought to be seen in gardens and landscapes much more often. My Lonicera involucrata var. ledbourii is about 4 ft tall and as much in width as of now, though it is still fairly young. It will likely get much bigger but is easily pruned to shape if need be.