Leycesteria formosa

( lay - sess - TEER - ee - uh      for - MOH - suh )

At-A-Glance Information

This shrub, commonly called Himalayan Honeysuckle or Himalayan Pheasantberry, is a deciduous shrub that needs full sun to light shade and regular water for best performance. The berries produced by this plant will attract birds to your garden. It grows quickly to 6 feet tall and wide, producing impressive flowers and handsome foliage. White flowers bloom in mid-summer and fall, covered by purple-red bracts. The berries follow, starting green when young and maturing to deep red and then blackish purple. The genus Leycesteria is a Himalayan Honeysuckle grows well in zones 4-6, 14-17 and 20-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Caring for and pruning Leycesteria formosa shrubs

Himalayan Honeysuckle shrubs prefer to be planted in partial to full sun in well-draining soil that is kept relatively moist. Soil should be fertile (or amended with plenty of organic material) and have a pH of between 6.1 and 7.8. These shrubs need regular water, especially as they are getting established, but are considered to be relatively drought tolerant once mature. If your soil is amended with organic material, no feedings are required. However, if you have poor soil, or if you notice that your shrub is struggling, it may benefit from a feeding in springtime with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer. These plants may freeze to the ground in cold winter areas, and the plant can be cut back hard in late winter or early spring to encourage vigorous new growth to emerge in springtime. Otherwise, prune to remove dead or damaged branches, and leave the shrub to its natural habit.

Propagation

Lycesteria formosa can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Lycesteria formosa by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 4 inch softwood portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Lycesteria formosa by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
  2. Harvest your seeds. The seed pods are pretty easy to spot, they're large and dangle from the branches, left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
  3. Leycesteria formosa seeds need to be cold-stratified before being sown. Place your seeds in moist sand inside a Ziploc bag and place the bag in your refrigerator. The bag should be kept at a temperature of 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 3 months. By the time spring rolls around, your seeds will be ready to plant, but it is a good practice to wait until summertime when the weather is a bit warmer (between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit).
  4. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  5. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
The seeds on these shrubs are contained inside fruiting bodies, and will need to be removed before they can be planted.
Leycesteria formosa seeds.

Problems and Pests

Although Himalayan Honeysuckle is generally pest and disease-free, these shrubs can suffer from:
  • Potato Aphids
  • Leaf Blight
  • Stem Canker​​​
​For more information on these issues, please consult the following links:

Gallery

The white flowers on these shrubs have dark red bracts.
Plant Himalayan Honeysuckle in semi-naturalized woodland areas where their size and shape can be fully admired.
Lycesteria formosa makes a wonderful addition to mixed-bed plantings, where its drooping flower clusters can be displayed above other flowers.

Videos

All about Himalayan Honeysuckle.
Propagating camellias
How to make muffins out of Himalayan Honeysuckle berries.
How to prune a Leycesteria formosa shrub.

Resources

How to Grow and Care for Himalayan Honeysuckle
Leycesteria formosa
Wikipedia: Leycesteria formosa
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 410, Leycesteria formosa
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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