BUSH HONEYSUCKLE AKA Morrow's Honeysuckle, Lonicera morrowii, or Lonciera tartarica, or Lonciera bella

There are a couple of invasive or potentially invasive bush honeysuckles living among us.  Technically they are or at least were two different species Lonicera morrowii native to Japan, Korea, and Northeast China, and Lonicera tartarica native to Eurasia.  Both were imported to the United States as ornamental shrubs.  The two are related and have similar growth habits, both reaching an average of 10 feet tall with a wide upper crown. These bush form honeysuckles are not to be confused with Japanese honeysuckle, also considered invasive, but which is a vine rather than a bush or shrub. As I am researching for this blog entry, and pondering which of the bush species we have, or if we actually have both, I learned that the two have actually cross bred on their own in a method called artificial hybridization (a cross consisting of two different species). The cross bred plant is called Lonciera bella. In mid-spring, even though I know I should, it is difficult to hate these invasive family of bush honeysuckle plants.  This is the time of year, early May, when the bushes are loaded with incredibly fragrant flowers.  When in bloom, during a span of a good two weeks, you can't help but detect their powdery fragrance in the air. The flowers form in clusters starting off white and maturing to pink or yellow.  After the flowers are done blooming, the red or orange fruit forms, also in clusters.  The fruit is just as prolific as the flowers and therein lies the problem.  As the fruit falls to the ground, the seed contained within germinates.  The colorful fruits are also carried away by birds or small mammals, The seeds within the fruit pass through their digestive tract and are later deposited elsewhere amid their droppings.    As a rule, bush honeysuckle prefers to grow in open sunny fields or on the forest edge.  Birds and animals transport the seed further into the woodland where the bush will grow if there is an opening in the tree canopy that lets in the sunshine.  If growth from seed dispersal is successful bush honeysuckle will colonize that forested area too.  I have personally witnessed this plant rapidly take over former pastureland and also witnessed its creep into the adjacent forest. 

HOW TO REMOVE

The plant has a relatively shallow root system, making smaller examples fairly easy to pull especially after a good saturating rainfall.  If there is not an overabundance of bush honeysuckle to tax your strength, larger plants can be removed by cutting the plant's branches back and using a pickaxe or similar tool to undermine the root collar.  Sounds fun huh?  If you can get under it, you can remove the shrub with the root collar attached leaving the remaining roots behind.  After all that work it is good to know that at least this plant will not grow back from the long trailing parts of the roots that remain in the ground.  

If the infestation is larger, there are several solutions you might consider.  During the plants summer growing season, cut back all of the branches as low to the ground as possible.  This can be done with loping shears, or with a battery or gas-powered brush cutter, the gas version is cleverly nick named a gas goat! After cutting back the shrub, it is essential that you treat the remaining cut portion of the branches with an herbicide such as glyphosate, otherwise the shrub will aggressively grow back, and all of your hard work in cutting will be for naught.  The herbicide will prevent regrowth of the branches.  If an infestation is especially heavy an autumn foliar application of herbicide is recommended.  The plant keeps its foliage after any native plants or trees have died back so a late in the season treatment will more specifically target bush honeysuckle and spare any native species.  You will need to keep an eye on the area and perhaps treat a second time, but rest assured, you will gradually win the fight.  I don't want to leave out goats as another possibility here.  Provided bush honeysuckle has not been chemically treated prior it is safe for most goats to consume this plant in addition to other foods that generally in their diet.