Honeysuckles are popular garden plants, valued for their sweetly fragrant flowers and ability to quickly cover fences, trellises, and arbors. However, some invasive varieties like Japanese honeysuckle and Amur honeysuckle can easily get out of control. That’s why it’s important to properly identify any lookalike plants before allowing them to establish in your landscape.
In this article, we’ll describe 8 common imposters that are frequently mistaken for honeysuckle. Learning to distinguish these honeysuckle lookalikes will help you avoid unwanted invasives.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
This native woody vine has similar tubular red flowers but with flared, trumpet-shaped ends. It twines up trellises and arbors blooming spring to summer. Trumpet honeysuckle attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Trumpet Creeper
Another lookalike with “trumpet” in the name, this aggressive woody vine has clusters of bright orange trumpet-shaped blooms. It needs frequent pruning to keep it under control. Hummingbirds love the nectar-rich flowers.
Coral Honeysuckle
This honeysuckle species has overlapping pairs of elongated leaves along vining stems. Tubular flowers come in shades of coral, pink, yellow, or red depending on variety. A hummingbird favorite.
Wisteria
Wisteria has hanging clusters of very fragrant, pea-like flowers in spring. However, it becomes a fast-growing, heavy woody vine that can damage structures. Support is needed.
Japanese Hydrangea Vine
This climbing hydrangea relative has large leaves and flattened clusters of small white flowers. It grows 30-50 feet high by clinging aerial rootlets to surfaces.
Virginia Creeper
With five-pointed leaves and bluish berries, this fast-growing vine can blanket trees and buildings. Red fall color. Can be invasive. Often confused with poison ivy, but leaves have five distinct points, not three.
Crossvine
Crossvine is a flowering woody vine with thick, leathery leaves arranged in pairs along the stem. Clusters of tubular orange and yellow flowers are pollinator magnets.
Carolina Jessamine
Also known as yellow jessamine, this vine has yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that appear in early spring. The leaves are paired along the vine, similar to crossvine. Can become invasive.
Properly identifying any plants that resemble honeysuckle is key before allowing them to establish. Some natives like trumpet honeysuckle are great additions, while aggressive growers like Japanese honeysuckle should be avoided. When in doubt, consult your local extension office for assistance with identification.
With their sweet fragrance and vining growth habits, honeysuckles are popular but sometimes invasive garden plants. Learning to distinguish lookalike species will help you make informed choices when selecting vines for your landscape. Avoid planting potential invasives like Japanese honeysuckle, and opt for better-behaved alternatives that can provide beauty without become a nuisance.
Viburnum will create a dense hedge and has a gorgeous fall color. Birds happily feed on its blue berries. There are a number of native Viburnums, even a few semi-evergreen varieties that create dense, quickly growing screens. They also serve as a host plant to more than 100 species of moths and butterflies.
Staghorn Sumac offers striking winter interest. Photo credit: robin_ottawa
Bottlebrush Buckeye Like Staghorn Sumac, Bottlebrush Buckeye is a deciduous native shrub that offers privacy while supporting forest ecosystems. It’s also a fantastic food source for birds, and its unique, bottlebrush-shaped blooms stand out in any landscape.
The Redbud’s gorgeous pink foliage makes for a beautiful addition to spring landscapes. Photo credit: Mike Procario
Plant This Honeysuckle, Not That Honeysuckle!
FAQ
What plant is mistaken for honeysuckle?
Native dogwoods and viburnums are sometimes confused with invasive shrub honeysuckles because they also have an opposite branch and leaf arrangement.
What can I use instead of honeysuckle?
So, get rid of the honeysuckle and replant with fragrant summer bloomers like sweetbay magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, a tree, and add the summer-blooming leatherflower vine, Clematis viorna, if you like the vine habit.
What does a honeysuckle plant look like?
A cultivar of the native American plant Lonicera sempervirens, also known as coral honeysuckle. It has dark green oval leaves and showy clusters of red flowers. 23. Mandarin Honeysuckle
Which honeysuckle vines grow best?
Trumpet honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) and Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica) are two of the most ornamental of the honeysuckle vines. Both grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, but trumpet honeysuckle grows best in the Southeast, while Japanese honeysuckle thrives in the Midwest.
Is honeysuckle a deciduous shrub?
Perfoliate honeysuckle is a twining deciduous shrub and is known for its blue-green leaves and creamy white-scented flowers. This beauty is native to Eurasia and is known for attractive summer blooms. 7. Trumpet Honeysuckle Botanical Name: Lonicera sempervirens Maximum Height: 10-20 feet Bloom Time: Mid-spring
Can honeysuckle grow in shade?
Honeysuckle will grow in both full sun and light shade. You’ll get more blooms if you plant in a location with six hours per day of sunshine, however. Many honeysuckles are hardy in USDA zones 4-9, but check the cultivar you intend to plant to be sure. If you intend for your honeysuckle to climb a fence, arbor, or other support, give it a hand.
What color is a honeysuckle Berry?
In fall, the flowers are replaced by bright-colored berries that draw cardinals and catbirds to the garden. You’ll find many honeysuckle varieties to choose from, with long-lasting flowers that bloom in shades of yellow, pink, peach, red and creamy white. The different types of honeysuckle include both shrubs and climbing vines.
What is a common honeysuckle?
Common Honeysuckle Botanical Name: Lonicera periclymenum Maximum Length: 12-18 feet Bloom Time: Spring to Summer Lonicera periclymenum, also known as common honeysuckle or woodbine grows amazing pink or white flowers enticing everyone with their scent.