Carefree Climber

A showy native vine, red trumpet honeysuckle produces bright clusters of coral blooms.

Each spring, red trumpets appear on woody vines. You won't hear them play a tune, and they aren't fragrant, but you can't miss seeing their brilliant blooms. Watch the flowers closely, and you may spot a hummingbird dancing happily around them.

Red trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a favorite food of hummers. This twining plant blooms about the same time the tiny birds return from their annual migration. Feasting on clusters of tubular blooms, hummingbirds appear to rejoice around the coral flowers. Trumpet honeysuckle is indigenous to the South and can be found growing in woodlands across much of the region, but this plant isn't invasive. It won't gobble up your whole garden like the sweetly scented, white-flowering Japanese honeysuckle does.

Trumpet honeysuckle has a long blooming season that starts in late spring and continues sporadically throughout the summer. If you don't like red, try 'John clayton,' which produces orange flowers. They will grow in shade, but their blooms will be sparse; in sunny locations, they will be fuller and bloom more heavily.

Upward Mobility

Give honeysuckles a fence, arbor, or trellis to lean on. Their supple vines need to wrap around something so they can pull themselves up off the ground. You may have to coax the plants a little by wrapping long shoots around the structure to get them started. They can grow 10 to 20 feet tall, depending on where they're planted, but you can prune vines in the summer to limit their size. If you cut them back in late winter, they will not flower the following spring.

Trumpet honey-suckles grow in most well-drained soils, have few pests, and are fairly drought tolerant. If you need a flowering vine that is easy to grow, try this one. It will make you happy, and the hummingbirds will sing its praises.

CHARLIE THIGPEN

RED TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE

At a Glance

Size: 10 to 20 feet tall

Prune: in summer to limit growth

Light: sun to partial shade

Soil: well drained

Bloom time: late spring and sporadically throughout summer

Good to know: attracts hummingbirds

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation May 2004
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