Diervilla Firefly® Bush Honeysuckle

A Bloomin' Easy® variety, Firefly® is a flowering deciduous shrub offering 3 seasons of interest. Its honey-colored and amber foliage adds vibrant color and texture while tiny tubular bright yellow flowers appear late spring through summer and bring your garden to life with pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The contrasting colors of the foliage make it fantastic filler in floral bouquets. Diervilla's colorful foliage also makes it an environmentally friendly alternative to burning bush (Euonymus alatus), which is invasive and being restricted throughout the U.S.

A Diervilla sessilifolia, commonly called diervilla or bush honeysuckle (a misnomer), Firefly has a compact, mounding suckering habit but is not invasive. Shown to best effect when massed or grouped, this low-growing shrub is ideal as a ground cover in naturalized areas, especially useful for erosion control, but it's also great for a small hedge or shrub border. It is a perfect addition to a wildlife garden and an excellent thriller in a container garden.

Firefly is cold hardy to -40°F (-40°C) and easy to grow. The shrub grows best in locations with 6 or more hours of full sun each day and average, moist, well-draining soil; but it tolerates a wide range of soils, including clay soils. Diervilla is one of the most shade tolerant shrubs; however, the best color and blooming occur with plenty of sunshine, and in northern climates it should be planted in full sun. Diervilla resists deer, tolerates heat, and, generally, repels pests. The shrub blooms on new wood, so any pruning should be done in spring after the last frost date, using sharp pruners or lopers. Bush honeysuckle benefits from regular fertilization from early spring to the end of the growing season.

A native plant, diervilla is indigenous to the Great Smoky Mountains and the southern Appalachian Mountains in North America. Native plants are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Naturally adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the region, they thrive without fertilizers or extra watering, once established. They also act as natural pest controls, reducing the need for pesticides in the garden. Landscaping with native plants promotes biodiversity and provides shelter and quality food for wildlife and pollinators, bringing gardens to life.