By Maureen Gilmer
DIY--Do It Yourself Network
Down a country road, a homeowner built an ugly chain link fence around his little farm pond and house. But soon he was out there planting little one-gallon honeysuckle vines and darned if they didn't grow up and cover that fence within three years.
The result was a perfectly secure, tall, hedge like barrier that kept the varmints out and pets in. Best of all was the fragrance that was sweet and heady and redolent of life on the American farm.
For me that was a turning point of the honeysuckle. From that day forward I paid attention to honeysuckle vines and discovered that they are plants that give and give, asking very little in return.
The garden honeysuckles come to us from three very different parts of the world. They all share the same curved tubular flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds with their incredibly sweet nectar. It is so abundant that children often remove the stem and suck out this honey.
The European honeysuckle known as woodbine is Lonicera periclymenum. It is believed to be native to Britain but perhaps other parts of Europe as well. It is distinguished by its pink and rose flowers that vary in color with different named varieties.
The American trumpet honeysuckle is Lonicera sempervirens, which originates in the South and East. A valuable habitat plant for hummingbirds and a variety of insects, its coloring is a vivid lipstick red with straighter tubular flowers. The variety 'Magnifica' is a prolific variety hardy to Zone 4. This plant has recently come back in style with increased interest in carefree gardening with super adapted North American natives.
The yellow and white flowers of Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, are perhaps the most widely known and recognized. This is the rampantly growing species that cloaked that chain link fence described above. Such habit has also made this plant problematic where it has naturalized in woodlands. Willingness to produce quick sprouting seed allows it to spread quickly via birds and other foraging animals. The sheer quantity of seed produced has resulted in some hardier plants that may exceed the hardiness limits of its Zone 4 designation.
Most widely grown is Hall's Japanese honeysuckle 'Halliana,' which is the type you're likely to encounter at the home improvement store. It is an exceptionally fast grower, but tends to mound up on itself with new runners draping over old. Those underneath are denied light and die out, producing an accumulation of dead dry growth that should be thinned. This is often the case when this plant shrouds shade structures made out of lattice. It can be quite difficult to remove the dead stuff without damaging the lattice or the vine.
It's important to choose the right honeysuckle for your garden to ensure it does what is expected and does not become a headache. Hall's is ideal for covering strong fences with thick posts, preferably concrete or metal, because its size and cumulative weight will push over lighter wood partitions.
To create visual beauty without the jungle, woodbine honeysuckle is among the most beautiful. Its tendency to cascade with long pendulous runners makes it perfect to train over windows, doors and arbor gates. Trumpet honeysuckle is also ideal for close in living spaces where you can relax and enjoy the hummingbird wars over the bright red blossoms.
Old-fashioned honeysuckle is often considered common in the wake of new and exciting vines. But when you see how eager they are to grow, even in less than ideal circumstances, you will come to love them.
(Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of "Weekend Gardener" on DIY-Do It Yourself Network. E-mail her at mo@moplants.com. For more information, visit www.moplants.com or www.DIYnet.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
)
)
)
