Plant Of the Month: Lonicera fragrantissima (February 2024)

If you want to lift your spirits on a cold, grey, winter’s day, then this is the plant for you!

At the Tibetan Peace Garden, adjacent to the Imperial War Museum, on an amazingly warm and sunny February afternoon, I was greeted at the entrance by the beauty and fragrant flowers of an often underrated winter flowering shrub.

The creamy-white-pale yellow, tubular flowers with protruding stamens often appear on bare or semi-evergreen stems and in my garden they literally flower for months, from November-December through to March-April.  I can view the masses of flowers from my kitchen windows which is a visual treat but really, it’s my neighbours who benefit from the spectacle and fragrance as the shrub is situated on the boundary wall.

At the Tibetan Peace Garden, the shrubs are situated in full sun and their 2×3 metre spread on either side of the entrance pillars acts as a welcome into the garden enclosure and also indicates they are absolutely loving their perfect, sun-soaked, location. 

The Winter Flowering Honeysuckle is tough and, having a small garden, I have to cut back hard after flowering and top-dress with compost.  Like many species, I wear gloves when handling the plant, as the berries are toxic. But don’t let that put you off. I wouldn’t be without it. And, neither would the winter-active Bumblebees!”

Winter Flowering Honeysuckle adjacent to Imperial War Museum

Wintering Flowering Honeysuckles on either side of the entrance pillars to Tibetan Peace Garden

A cascade of beautiful flowers

Anna L