Winter honeysuckle
Lonicera fragrantissima
Also called Fragrant honeysuckle and Sweet breath of spring
Garden plant · ShrubsA plain untidy bush for eleven months and worth every inch of it in the twelfth — the scent in January carries across a garden. Put it by a path or a door, and prune it straight after flowering or you cut off next year's.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 8 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a very cold winter RHS H6, to -20°C
- Size
- 2.5 m tall · 2.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- China
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A big healthy bush with almost no scent in January. It was cut back in autumn or winter — the flowers come on last summer's wood, so it is shortened straight after flowering and then left alone.Pruned at the wrong time · disorder
- White dust over the leaves in a dry summer, on a plant crowded against a wall. It is untidy rather than serious, and this shrub is not grown for its summer looks anyway.Powdery mildew · disease