Honey Bush (Melianthus major)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Shrub
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences:	Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 8a -12.2 °C (10 °F) to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Plant Height:	8 to 12 feet
Plant Spread:	8 to 12 feet
Leaves:	Evergreen Other: In colder areas it may die back to the roots. Mulch heavily to protect the roots. Root stock reported to be hardy to 5°F with protection of mulch.
Flowers:	Showy Fragrant Other: Lightly fragrant and contain nectar that the birds like.
Flower Color:	Russet Other: Dark maroon
Flower Time:	Spring
Uses:	Windbreak or Hedge Provides winter interest
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Birds Hummingbirds
Resistances:	Deer Resistant
Toxicity:	Leaves are poisonous Roots are poisonous Fruit is poisonous Other
Propagation: Seeds:	Can handle transplanting
Propagation: Other methods:	Cuttings: Stem
Pollinators:	Bees
Containers:	Not suitable for containers
Miscellaneous:	Tolerates poor soil

Common names

Honey Bush
Honey Flower

Photo Gallery

Location: Chicago Botanical Gardens
Date: 2017-10-18

Uploaded by Fleur569

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: Tellys Greenhouse, Troy, MI
Date: 2009-09-27

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by bumplbea

Uploaded by bumplbea

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-07-26
Normally grows about six feet in ayear, and dies back, 8 to 10 f

Uploaded by Cantillon

Location: My garden
Date: 2020-03-18
Love how the rain beads up on the leaves

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: Botanical garden of Barcelona (Spain)
Date: 2022-04-16

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-07-26
Dies back in winter, grows again in spring, if it overwinters, it

Uploaded by Cantillon

Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2019-07-22

Uploaded by kniphofia

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: National Botanical Garden, DC, Virginia :) | May, 2022
Date: 2022-05-28

Uploaded by sedumzz

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: Jardin Georges Delaselle Ile de Batz, Brittany, France
Date: 2023-08-29

Uploaded by SL_gardener

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-08-31
Each puffy pod may hold up to maybe five seeds, most of mine just

Uploaded by Cantillon

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens
Date: Sep 28, 2011 1:16 PM
Container Plant For The Past Six Years

Uploaded by chelle

Location: San Francisco Botanical Gardens

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: Mid-America Gardens
Date: 2015-05-14

Uploaded by KentPfeiffer

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-09-05
Four year old seed , 23 seeds planted in a seed tray in a wet mix

Uploaded by Cantillon

Uploaded by admin

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-09-05
Amazing old seed found while storing 2014 seed, and it looks like

Uploaded by Cantillon

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: Jan 16, 2013
Still going strong after 2 weeks of low to high 20's F.

Uploaded by valleylynn

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: In my garden
Date: 2015-06-27
I usually cut off the old bloom heads but this year I left them

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: Western Washington
Date: 2013-02-07
seedling

Uploaded by springcolor

Location: Western Washington
Date: 2013-03-06

Uploaded by springcolor

Photo Courtesy of Secret Garden Growers.

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Western Washington
Date: 2016-11-06

Uploaded by springcolor

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Uploaded by Joy

Location: The garden at Sanabria
Date: 2014-08-31
The brown seeds will go black, they were not as ripe, but all sho

Uploaded by Cantillon

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Seattle Flower and Garden Show 2014
Date: 2014-02-07

Uploaded by springcolor

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by springcolor (Washington State - Zone 7a) on Mar 8, 2013 4:42 PM concerning plant:

Germinated this in damp paper towel for 2 - 3 weeks. Slow to start. Have others that germinated 3-6-2013.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Sallymander (Portland, Oregon - Zone 7b) on Sep 3, 2019 11:17 AM concerning plant:

I've wanted this plant for years. I finally got it last year and totally neglected it. I was surprised to see it come back in the pot this spring so I did the "right" thing and finally planted it. I did my "once and done" method of watering heavily at the time of planting and walked away from it. I've learned that "once and done" doesn't work as well in this yard as it did in my previous yard, but I've been pleasantly surprised and pleased with how well this plant has done with zero love. Today (September 3rd,) was the first day it looked a little thirsty, so I watered it. Very tough plant. Very beautiful. No flowers this year, but I'm looking forward to them in the future. I hear they have an unpleasant smell, but to be honest, that is part of the appeal for me. I planted it close to where my hubby likes to plant his CBD plants. One bad odor deserves another!

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Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
Hardiness by gardengus	Oct 24, 2014 3:35 PM	9
Melianthus seed head by Cantillon	Aug 31, 2014 2:40 PM	1

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Melianthus Honey Bush (Melianthus major)

Melianthus
Honey Bush (Melianthus major)