On my property there are many honeysuckle shrubs. The shrubs appear to all be very healthy, grow vigorously, and produce a lot of (inedible) berries. I'm looking for advice for another plant that would mimic the honeysuckles ecological functions but would provide some type of yield for me and my family as well. My idea is to slowly take out some of the honeysuckles and replace them with another shrub that would bear edible fruits. Any ideas? Thanks.

how about honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea)?

michael conway wrote:I'm looking for advice for another plant that would mimic the honeysuckles ecological functions ...

1st, what's your location?
2nd, we have honeysuckle and it's very invasive so you don't really want to mimic that. Between honey suckle and the Japanese barberry almost nothing can grow on the forest floor.
3rd, what else it growing near by?

Eleagnus genus plants would do that, plus fix nitrogen. They're also "invasive", but I don't buy that anyway. Gaia knows what she's doing, they're just filling a niche.

My location is Wilmington New York, located in the northeast of the Adirondack mountains. My property is on the forests edge but where I want to work with is not in full forest. It definitively appears to be an opportunistic species as do the many other plants growing on the property. It is pretty sandy soils but has a lot of water in most areas. Other plants growing around are pine trees, aspen trees, birch trees, maple trees. The only competition the honeysuckle has on the shrub layer of the area is with a few scattered patches of raspberries. Lilacs also seem to do great in the area. The Adirondacks are not a forest known for the most plants with edible fruits so i'm trying to learn what would survive the winters here (zone 4) that could provide me with some food or medicinal yields. I will research the honeyberry and eleagnus genus, thanks.

Isaac Hill wrote:Gaia knows what she's doing, they're just filling a niche.

In general I agree but the honeysuckle / Japanese barberry is really nasty.

I am planting some Eleagnus types (Goumi, Autumn Olive). At least they're productive.

michael conway wrote:The Adirondacks are not a forest known for the most plants with edible fruits so i'm trying to learn what would survive the winters here (zone 4) that could provide me with some food or medicinal yields.

You have tons of options! Hazelnuts, blueberry, small fruit trees... other nut trees...

Cj Verde wrote:

In general I agree but the honeysuckle / Japanese barberry is really nasty.

I am planting some Eleagnus types (Goumi, Autumn Olive). At least they're productive.

Yeah I don't like the honeysuckle either, it's not really useful for anything. I do see autumn olives filling the same niche as them in the wild, and it's a much more useful plant.

Will muscadine and scuppernong grow in your area? Our honeysuckle in the south is more a vine like
grapes than a shrub.