I planted a grouping of Kodiak at the end of our driveway because of their cold hardiness, adaptability, and low maintenance needs. What I failed to consider was deer browse susceptibility. Mine was a failed experiment, but yours look great.

Loving those Fresh!! Wish I had seen them before I bought my Kodiak Oranges and Reds.

IMO, the diervillas are not much to look at - a bit of a weedy, nondescript shrub. BUT.... I love them for their easy maintenance, their hardiness in different and difficult spots, for the pollinators, and for the fall colors.

I've got two in my yard, two for my daughter's, and I just bought one on sale just because. I figured I could find a spot for it somewhere!

:)

Dee

Thanks!No deer here so safe with that maackia ....

Thanks Dee! I agree......

They are touted as being deer resistant, but they are not.

Yeah, if you don't control the deer, they'll be a lot of things you'll find disappointing. 😉

I planted this Kodiak 'Jet Black' end of April. A rather small specimen but they were hard to find around here at the time. It's doing well for only a little over 2 months in the ground and experiencing a bad hail storm.

I can't wait to see the yellow flowers! ☺️

My JET BLACK Diervilla is also young....

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People with more of an eye for color blending and contrasting than I, will have Diervilla displayed in a more decorative manner.

And if rabbits do shorten the stems, that will be in keeping with 'growing and care' instructions when you do that for rejuvenation. ;-)

But then a simple winter fence should keep them off the plant if you desire to do so.

jim1961 Central Pennsylvania Zone 6b

Your last post just popped up after I posted.

Thanks for the pictures!

Mine as sold on line as a 1 gallon potted shrub.

Well, mine was a gallon pot but it looked like they just shoved a quart sized plant into it. :-))

But that's okay, I got it planted in April and it's grown quite a bit already.

Once the roots get established, it will take off then.

Once our JET BLACKS mature the yellow flowers will really stick out with more blackish leaves... :-)

BELOW is regular Black Diervilla...

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Wow, jim, that's a great picture. You have a way with the camera!

I have a lot of green plants, so I wanted something to contrast that, because I have a hard time keeping flowers and perennials alive in this climate.

After a failed Korean maple tree out front, I realized that would've been too large if it had survived there.

When I was searching for a shrub, I found the jet black, all the specifications lined up closest with what I wanted, even zone 3.

The pollinators will love those trumpet shaped blooms! ☺️

And like you say, yellow against the black should 'pop'.

Not sure about your colder climate but here once the flowers get spent I trim the bush back alittle & get a new wave of yellow flowers ....

Mine just started blooming here in June but I cut it back in the spring to like 18 inches & take out the skinny canes etc.

I planted my bushes 3 years ago....The regular Black was getting huge by the second season...

And oh yes bees love them here!

I like the 'Huge' part. I need it be around 4 ft. tall and 4 feet wide (maybe next year). 😄

I planted my Jet Black last year mid June... It was a true quart size...

Here it is today...Will post a pic for you at the end of the season....

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Thanks! I just noticed 'First Flowers' this morning. Yay!!

:-)

AWESOME!

JET BLACK

BLACK with Bumble...Lots of bumbles & other bees but they move so fast hard to get a clear pic...

jim,

I can tell by the picture in another thread, your Kodiak jet black has grown well this season.

Mine has too.

I didn't get around to trying your method of getting extra flowers by nipping the old ones off but I did get plenty of flowers during the season anyways. The flowers have slowed down now.

All this grow originated from a single trunk and the top got so heavy, the whole thing sort of flopped over to one side. I've read it's supposed to 'sucker' but so far mine has not.

I know it's supposed to be rabbit and deer 'resistant' but being in its first season, I'm giving it some protection JIC until it gets more size to it. A little nipping won't hurt this plant.

;-)

Yes mine sucker alittle so every once in awhile I snip out the spreading suckers....Mines not that bad at all on suckers...

Yours is looking very good! :-)

I cut my down to about 18-24 inches every Spring and they are huge in no time...

Heres some photos of my other Kodiak Diervillas... Took these pics today... 9/16/26

Next season I'm going get another Kodiak Jet Black but this one will go in full sun 6+ hours... The one I have now only gets 3-4 hours out front..

How much sun does yours Jet Black get BillMN-z4a ???

I noticed my Kodiak Fresh out back are way more colorful and bloom better then my ones out front... Ones out front get 4 hours... Out back 7-8 hours...

Same Diervilla just different sun Exposures at this time of the year...

My Jet Black is only getting 3 hours sun so its sprawling...Will see how it does next season...

Hi jim!

Not sure if we can compare our sun strengths, considering our differences in latitude but 3 hours a day does sound pretty sparse and would think you'd see some 'off color' problems from that. imo; 6-8 hrs/day are recommended (see link at bottom of post).

Diervilla K. 'Jet Black' is advertised as having a 'Spreading Habit', so that isn't too unusual for a new plant that doesn't have an established root system.

I'm pretty new to Diervilla K but from what I read, one can trim/shorten the stems in the Fall or Spring to promote forking/multiple branches.

Earlier you mentioned that you remove all 'suckers' when they sprout?

Now you can research this to prove me wrong 😏 but I don't think these plants are intended to be grown from a single stem and the suckers are all part of the mature height and width of 3 to 4 ft.

That said, the 3"L. rooted cutting I started this spring is also 'spreading' with 18" on the main stem with a couple of 12-14" stems, all near the bottom of the plant (fast growth imo).

It's getting at least 12 hours of direct sun during the growing season and it doesn't complain one bit about that. When the sun isn't so bright, the color appears nearly black.

I'll prune this one up next spring and if some suckers want to reach through and add to the density of the form, fine with me and I'll this first to find out what works. 😉

Even my main plant that's posted above is not very tall (4-10" average) with some long, sweeping branches that are misdirected. I definitely will be trimming this one later on, probably next spring.

I'll post the picture again here for convenience.
This one gets all day, direct sun.

https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/diervilla/kodiak-jet-black-diervilla-x

Yours look great! Next year they will take off....:-)

I find suckers 5-6 ft away from the main base (Stems) of the bush... I cut all the suckers back...

Diervilla black gets to 5 ft high by 5-6ft wide here and thats with me cutting the suckers out and only 5 hours sun..... So I'm thinking the bush might even be wider if I left suckers grow??? LET ME KNOW what happens IF YOU decide to LET THE SUCKERS GO....I have no idea ...lol

Your right we can not compare sun exposure in our totally different climates...

I'm not sure yet how big JET BLACK will grow...

Very interesting found this article....

Yes, it will expand, but it will form a dense colony rather than becoming a single, uncontrollably massive bush.The Kodiak Black Diervilla (also known as dwarf bush honeysuckle) inherently features a suckering, spreading habit. [1]Here is what you can expect if you leave the suckers alone, along with how to manage them based on your landscaping goals:What Happens If You Let the Suckers Grow?

• Colony Formation: Instead of a single central trunk growing wider and wider, the root system sends up new shoots (suckers) nearby. Over time, these suckers mature into new stems, effectively transforming the individual plant into a thick, dense colony or multi-stemmed thicket. [1, 2]
• Natural Size Limitations: While it will expand outward, individual stems generally maintain a controlled mature height and spread of 3 to 4 feet. It will not grow into a towering or wildly unmanageable monster shrub, but it will push past its initial planting boundaries. [1, 2, 3]

When to Leave the SuckersLetting the suckers grow naturally is highly recommended if you are using the plant for:

• Erosion Control: The spreading, thick root network is exceptional for binding soil on banks and slopes.
• Mass Plantings & Hedges: It will easily knit together to fill empty spaces, creating a low, beautiful, dark-purple hedge.
• Naturalized Gardens: It provides a great low-maintenance filler that creates a lush, wilder woodland look. [1, 2, 3]

How to Control It (If You Prefer a Tidy Look)If you planted it as a standalone specimen in a manicured garden bed, you will want to keep the spread in check: [1]

1. Snip the Edges: Periodically use a sharp pair of pruners to snip out the spreading suckers at the outer base of the plant. [1]
2. Spring Pruning: You can hard-prune the main shrub down in the early spring. Because Diervilla blooms on new wood, this keeps the main habit dense and vibrant without sacrificing summer flowers. [1, 2, 3]
3. Propagate: If you want more free plants, you can carefully dig up and split off established suckering growth to transplant elsewhere in your yard.

'I find suckers 5-6 ft away from the main base (Stems) of the bush...'

Probably caused by the plant looking for a more sunny location.

They are super easy to propagate. Reminds me of Hydrangea Arborscens, never a shortage of rooted suckers around the edges but in my sand, they never seem to spread too bad.

My Diervilla out front can grow as big as it wants as far as I'm concerned.

My original intentions were to have a large, high & wide 'Centerpiece' to fill the empty area there. Later, I might even plant a few companions.

Thanks for the article.

They left out #4....Shovel Prune: 🤣

I'll let you know how things progress here, next season. 👍