Diervilla x Kodiak® Red 2.0 (Southern Bush Honeysuckle) Unity Grown

Diervilla x splendens Kodiak® Red 2.0 is a new and improved cultivar of an already beloved hybrid Diervilla, also called bush honeysuckle. The Diervilla x splendens hybrid is a result of crossing southern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia) and mountain bush honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis), which share a native range within the US Southeast, and the Kodiak® Red 2.0 cultivar promises even more ornamental appeal for the home landscape. While Kodiak® Red is already noted for its striking, red-tinged foliage all through the growing season, this improved cultivar produces darker red hues more consistently through the year, with beautiful bright new growth in the spring and even more striking, intense scarlet coloration in the fall. All this extra appeal is presented in the same neat, tidy package as the original, with Diervilla x splendens Kodiak® Red 2.0 growing to only 3-4' tall and wide.

In mid-summer, Diervilla x splendens Kodiak® Red produces profuse, bright yellow, honeysuckle-like flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, contrasting beautiful with the plants' dark foliage; in the late summer and fall, flowers turn to small red seedpods, which are both beautiful and attractive to a number of songbird species. Diervilla x splendens is a highly adaptable shrub for any garden space, small or large, that combines the best attributes of both parent species, tolerating poor and rocky soils, drought, soil erosion, and deer damage. Though this bush honeysuckle requires medium-dry, well-drained soils, it is not at all picky about light level or soil consistency, and grows great anywhere from full shade to full sun.

Note: Although Diervilla x splendens is referred to as bush honeysuckle, it is a North American native species hybrid, and shouldn't be confused with Japanese bush honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, which is considered invasive in many parts of the US.

Photos courtesy of Proven Winners.