Beautifully scented Lonicera pileata

Lonicera pileata berries

Lonicera pileata flowers

The Lonicera pileata hedge that stopped me

Today I was walking through a commercial parking lot, past a low maintenance, uninspired garden.  What stopped me was a beautiful scent wafting through the air, above the smell of traffic on the busy arterial road.  Below the walkway where I was standing was a Lonicera pileata hedge, emitting a beautiful, citrusy fragrance.  The fragrance is not heavy, but light and fresh.

Lonicera pileata has many advantages.  It is a tough plant that can tolerate little water, and full sun to dappled shade.  This Lonicera is evergreen in Vancouver, and its branches grow in long, straight formations.  Branches near the ground will root, making the Lonicera pileata a great erosion control plant.

Although the flowers are insignificant to look at--only about 3mm long--they release a lovely scent.  These flowers give way to an iridescent purple berry in summer.

Lonicera pileata is not a specimen shrub, but creates a good backdrop for other plants, and fills a spot year round with green.  It can be pruned to shape, and usually grows to 2'.

Chaefer Beetle = Redesign

Truthfully, we Cultivated Gardeners love the Chaefer Beetle.  We find homeowners are tired of fighting the Chaefer Beetle and call us for help.  We turn the problem into the solution.

What do you do if your lawn is decimated by the effects of Chaefer Beetle larvae?  Here are two options:

1)  If you really need a lawn, then renovate your lawn and learn how to care for the grass so it grows deep roots and is no longer victim to Chaefer Beetle Buffett.

2)  If you don't need a lawn, remove the lawn and plant a beautiful garden.  This is what we like to do.  We have posted some of our garden designs on Houzz.com houzz.com/pro/ecolisa/.   

Many of these designs are a direct result of Chaefer Beetle related damage.  Once their lawn has been decimated, people reassess why they have a lawn, and if a garden would be more suitable.

From the view of maintenance, a properly designed and installed garden is less maintenance than lawn.  If the garden is not properly designed and/or installed, it will be more maintenance than a lawn.

If you are not sure how to design and install successfully, feel free to call us for help.  It is what we do.  www.thecultivatedgardeners.com.