Coral Red honeysuckle or Lonicera sempervirens is the honeysuckle you want - I mean really want- not the other kind. You probably have honeysuckle somewhere near you right now. It's white, smells pretty good, and it may even be right behind you as you read this, don't look! It knows you are there, it's waiting to spread and take over everything when you aren't looking - or even when you are it really doesn't matter! You see that honeysuckle that fills the air with it's heady fragrance isn't from around here. It's an overseas immigrant (from Asia) who is naturalizing itself and pushing out it's American cousin Lonicera sempervirens. Don't encourage the foreign invader, instead plant the native honeysuckle! The only thing it lacks is the fragrance of the foreign flower. Hummingbirds love coral red honeysuckle, it looks great, it's very tame, and isn't hard to propagate if you want more.
Don't get me wrong, I like the scent of Lonicera japonica just as well as anyone but the problem is it just doesn't know any limits. It's kind of like another foreign vine you might be familiar with named kudzu - AKA "the vine that ate the south". You wouldn't plant kudzu would you?
Why should you plant Lonicera sempervirens?
It's a native to the United States
It's coral red flowers attracts and feeds hummingbirds.
Lush green foliage when not in bloom.
Doesn't become invasive.
Works well on fences, trellises, and arbors.
How can you propagate honeysuckle?
Greenwood cuttings taken in late spring and early summer after flower bloom are finished. For more on cuttings please read this post.Labels: perennial, shrub, vines
