grows moderately fast and will get to be a large shrub over time. i prune out older branches to keep mine smaller at approx. 7'x7'. the new leaves are a nice bluish green and it holds foliage over winter some years more than others. it has a strong sweet lemon fragrance on warm days during late winter. mine has about finished flowering now and the bees really seem to like it, probably because there is not much else available this time of year. it is a large, coarse shrub that i have in a woodland border and is not much to look at after flowering. maybe the worst feature of it is that it holds the old yellowing foliage longer than i would like.

I planted a six-inch cutting of this shrub at my parents' house in zone 5b Michigan many years ago. While it is not an extremely fast grower, it grew steadily from that point to be 15 ft. by 15ft. shrub. It might even be larger if my dad did not occasionally prune it.

I wonder if there are different clones of this plant in circulation. I always hear it described as a "lanky" or "unattractive" shrub, but the one I planted always has very dense foliage, a perfectly rounded shrub form with no gaps and is practically evergreen. Oh, and when it is in flower in early spring you can enjoy the glorious fragrance from several hundred feet away... My parents absolutely love it.

THANKS so much for the responses. I too wonder about the different clones. As of now, it's a bushy thing. As per the description when I bought it, it's to be a bushy thing... It was surprisingly evergreen this year, probably only b/c it was buried under snow for much of the season. I liked the self supporting nature, next to ... the fragrance..

I ripped out all other honeysuckles I've had, due to their aphid susceptibility. WE'll see, it will be one of my many small but growing shrubs I have.. THANKS everyone!

Some of you may live where this is considered an invasive pest species. One or more of the different clones may actually be L. standishii or the hybrid between the two, L. x purpusii.

How's the winter honeysuckle doing? I got one last summer that has a few blooms. [very sweet!] Undecided about where to plant it. Do they need full sun? Mine is in a gallon sized pot, and has been outside ever since I got it.

Lonicera fragrantissima (Ck spelling!!) is an easy grower, tolerant of many soil types.....This is one of those scrubs that's specifically grown for what it's latin name would indicate, FRAGRANCE!! Beyond this, it has little to offer (though I must admit I've a passion for it, n it's close relative L. japonica because of their becoming fragrance!) needing frequent pruning to keep it from looking unsightly n unruly, but in the long run, as already indicated, this will make it more pleasing to look at, n increase flower production n offer bees some food at a time when most things are still FULLY dormant. Easily propagated from cutting, n given fairly rich soil, will grow quite rapidly.....even from small starters. Along with many other fragrant scrubs, this is one to have around next to winter Daphne for late winter/early spring enjoyment!!