Shrub · Caprifoliaceae
Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Given full sun and a support to climb, trumpet honeysuckle hangs whorls of slim coral-red tubes that hummingbirds probe.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 4–9
8–20 ft · 2.4–6.1 m
Overview
Trumpet honeysuckle is a native flowering vine built around its blooms: whorls of slim, coral-red to orange tubular flowers gathered at the stem tips, each one a narrow trumpet. They open from late spring well into summer and often flush again in fall, the color drawing hummingbirds to probe the tubes. Once the flowers fade, small round red berries take their place.
The plant itself is easy and adaptable, a fast climber whose twining stems reach for any support. Given a trellis, an arbor, or a fence, the growth carries well over head height in a season or two, and the vine holds through cold down to a punishing low.
One detail separates the good vine from the bad one: the flower color and its manners. The native trumpet type, Lonicera sempervirens, with its coral-red tubes, is the one you want. Steer clear of Japanese honeysuckle, the white-flowered vine that smothers wild ground across much of the country.
Care
The short version: full sun and a support for its twining stems, average well-drained soil, and steady moisture while it settles, after which the vine largely fends for itself.
Light
Honeysuckle sets the most coral tubes in full sun, though it will take partial shade and still flower. Sun also dries the green leaves fast, which holds the powdery white film of mildew at bay.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while the vine roots in, watering every 5 to 10 days. An established plant rides out dry spells, but steady moisture packs the stems with the most flowers.
Soil
The vine is easy about its footing, taking average to rich, well-drained loam or clay loam. A wide pH window of 5.5 to 8.0 suits it, so most garden ground works as long as it drains.
Temperature
This is a hardy vine, holding from a bitter -29°F (-34°C) up to about 100°F (38°C). That range carries the stems and leaves through cold winters and hot summers across most temperate gardens.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it and no figure applies. Airflow around the foliage is what counts, since still, damp air pooled in crowded leaves is what dusts them with mildew.
Feeding
A light spring feed with a balanced fertilizer is all it wants. Push heavy nitrogen and you get leaves in place of flowers, so keep the hand modest.
Pruning
Prune right after the main flush of coral tubes to shape the twining stems and hold their size. It flowers on new growth, so a light trim spurs a fresh set of blooms. Save a hard cutback for late winter, and only when the vine needs renewing.
Repotting
In open ground it needs no repotting, and even potted it is moved up only rarely. Roots circling the pot or slipping out the drainage holes, along with a thin scatter of flowers, show the vine has outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
On a support the twining stems climb 8 to 20 feet (2.4 to 6 m) tall and spread 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) wide. Give it a sturdy trellis or arbor and room for that reach.
When to plant
Honeysuckle is a hardy perennial vine, so the calendar is about rooting it in rather than beating a frost. Set new plants out in spring or fall, then watch the coral-red tubes open at the stem tips from late spring into summer, with more to follow if you keep the vine lightly pruned.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or fall
- Harvest: late spring into summer, often reblooming into fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Trumpet honeysuckle keeps its clean look most years, and what does mar it tends to be cosmetic, written across the leaves. Two things are worth watching, and both surface in warm, muggy weather. Match the sign below and you can act before it clouds the foliage or the fresh growth.
A dusty white bloom dulling the green leaves in humid heat
The pale, floury white film clouding the upper leaf surfaces is powdery mildew, a fungus that creeps in where the air hangs warm and still. Drag a finger across it and it smears away as fine dust, which sets it apart from the fixed dark or tan lesions of leaf blight. Thinning the tangle of stems for airflow, watering low at the base, and full sun that dries each leaf all keep the coating from spreading.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by thinning and providing support such as a trellis or arbor
- Remove and discard severely affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering and water at the base of the plant
- Site the vine in full sun where foliage dries quickly
Soft-bodied specks massed on the tender new tips
The tight clusters of small soft bodies packed onto the tender shoot tips and swelling flower buds are aphids, tiny green, black, or pinkish specks that leave a glistening, sticky honeydew behind. That shine on the stems and the ants tracking through it give them away. A hard jet of water bowls the colonies off, insecticidal soap clears the stragglers, and a lighter hand with nitrogen keeps the soft growth they crowd onto from surging.
Fix:
- Dislodge aphids with a strong spray of water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to affected growth if needed
- Encourage natural predators such as lady beetles and lacewings
- Reduce plant stress through adequate watering and avoiding excess nitrogen
Toxicity
Honeysuckle sits at the low end of the risk scale. The green leaves, the coral tubular flowers, and the thin sweet nectar inside them give little cause for worry, and a child sipping a drop from a bloom comes to no harm. The catch is the glossy red berries that follow the flowers, which hold saponins that can upset a stomach if eaten in quantity, so keep pets and children from grazing on the fruit.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · People
Safe for
Birds
Cats Mild
A cat that mouths the green foliage or a tubular bloom rarely reacts. The glossy red berries are the part that matters, since a mouthful of the saponin-bearing fruit can bring on vomiting or loose stools.
Dogs Mild
The leaves and thin sweet nectar pass through most dogs untroubled. It is the plump red berries to watch, because a good many can bring drooling, an upset stomach, and diarrhea.
Horses Caution
Honeysuckle is not marked as a serious horse poison, yet those same red berries hold the saponins that unsettle other grazers, so a curious horse is best kept from stripping the fruit off the stems.
Rabbits Mild
A rabbit that clips a single leaf is unlikely to suffer. The shiny berries are the risk, capable of leaving it with a sour gut, so the fruit should never stand in as a treat.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep usually pass the twining stems by. A grazer that strips and gorges on the red berries may meet mild digestive upset from the saponins, so valued stock is best fenced from a heavy fruit set.
People Caution
A single drop of nectar drawn from the base of a tubular flower does nothing. The red berries are another thing entirely, not food and able to upset a stomach in any quantity, so children should be taught to leave the fruit alone.
Birds Safe
Birds pluck the bright red berries from the stems with no harm and scatter the seed as they move on, which is exactly how the vine travels. The glossy fruit is food for them, not a hazard.
The sweet flower nectar that children sometimes sip is harmless in tiny amounts, but discourage anyone from eating the berries. Keep pets from grazing on the fruit.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Garden honeysuckle comes down to a few reliable selections set apart mostly by flower color, from coral-red to clear yellow to two-toned pink. These are the ones worth seeking out, along with one to avoid.
Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'
A native trumpet honeysuckle that loads its stems with a heavy flush of reddish-orange tubular flowers, reblooming strongly and drawing hummingbirds to the color all season.
Lonicera sempervirens 'John Clayton'
A compact native selection whose clear yellow flowers repeat their bloom and ripen into a generous crop of round red berries.
Lonicera × heckrottii (Gold Flame honeysuckle)
A fragrant, well-behaved hybrid whose showy blooms glow in two tones, rose-pink across the outside of the tube and soft yellow within.
Lonicera × brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'
An extra cold-hardy Brown's honeysuckle that opens bright scarlet-red flowers over a long season and keeps its vigor without ever running wild.
Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' (Hall's honeysuckle)
An aggressive Japanese honeysuckle whose fragrant white flowers fade to yellow as they age, discouraged or banned in many regions and best set aside for the natives above.
Companions
Keep apart
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle): Invasive non-native that smothers desirable plants and the native honeysuckle alike; should not be planted near or in place of native species.
How to propagate
Honeysuckle multiplies readily, whether from a cut length of stem or a seed teased from a berry, and the rooted routes reach flowering far sooner. Pick the method that fits your patience and the time of year.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer (softwood/semi-hardwood) · Several weeks to a few months
Snip the supple green softwood or firming semi-hardwood stems from late spring into summer, hold them in humid air, and pale new roots push out over the next several weeks to a few months. It is the fastest, most dependable way to raise an exact copy of a vine you already like.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One growing season
From spring through summer, bend a long, flexible stem down and pin it against the soil, and roots form quietly at the buried node. A full growing season sees that node anchored, and the young rooted plant is then cut free from the parent stem.
SeedModerate
Fall sowing or after cold stratification · A season or more
Squeeze the small seeds from the ripe red berries, then sow them in fall or chill them through cold stratification, since that cold is what cracks their dormancy. A season or more passes before the seedling makes a usable plant, which is why the rooted routes reach flowering sooner.
Myths
Every honeysuckle vine is an invasive weed that should never be planted.
The offender is Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, a non-native whose fragrant white-to-yellow flowers ride a vine that smothers native plants across much of the eastern, central, and southern US, and it is regulated or banned in some states. The native trumpet or coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, wears whorls of slim coral-red to orange tubular blooms and keeps to its place. It is non-invasive and the recommended alternative.
Sources
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- USDA National Invasive Species Information Center
- USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Penn State Extension
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox