Native Honeysuckle, variety 'Blanche Sandman'

Buds just before they flowered

On Deck Railing

Native Honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens) also known as
Trumpet Honeysuckle or Coral Honeysuckle

This is NOT Asian Honeysuckle (that you see taking over many shrubs and yards). This is also NOT Trumpet Creeper (which can be more aggressive then these Honeysuckles).

Type: Perennial Vine  (Zones 4/5-9/10).
Light Requirements: Full to Part Sun (some will work in Part Shade)
Moisture/Soil: Average moisture. Once established can take some drought.
Blooms: Late spring to early summer and often continues to bloom on and off again for the rest of the season. It has a LONG bloom season. Different varieties come in coral, reds, oranges, yellows and pink. Then it gets berries in the fall, which are also attractive.
Leaves: Green (looses them in the winter  but stay on through the fall).
Size: Length: 10′-20′
Additional Info: I grow several coral and orange colored ones on my deck railing in full sun. I bought mine at a native plant sale at Bartrum Gardens. I have also picked up some at the Scott Arboretum plant exchange. There were a lot there and I tried to convince a couple of people to try them out. Here is a useful link to a story from Dave’s Garden: Native American Honeysuckle.

Pros: They are very low maintenance and can take a good haircut. Bees, butterflies  and hummingbirds love them! Does well in my clay soil. Deer resistant.

Cons: Most don’t have a nice fragrance.  They can be too aggressive for some “dainty” applications. I would say that the growth is faster in the wet spring and then moderate to little the rest of the season. I’ve heard it can get mildew, but I haven’t had this problem

Origin: I am focusing on the US native cultivars.

'Blanche Sandman' Variety

Possibly 'Major Wheeler' Variety

Varieties:

‘Blanche Sandman’ – This form has orange-red blooms that are produced even after the initial flush. It is resistant to leaf diseases. I believe this is the one I have.

‘Gold Flame’ (Zones 5-9) (Lonicera x heckrottii) which is a cross between Lonicera L. sempervirens (American) and Lonicera Americana (a European variety) is pink with yellow inside a has the fragrance that I love from the Asian Honeysuckle without being invasive. Reports are that it is more prone to powdery mildew and aphids.

‘Alabama Crimson’ -  Bright red flowers – a cultivar that is becoming very common.

‘Cedar Lane’ – A deep red-flowering form, this plant produces abundant bloom. It is less prone to leaf diseases.

‘John Clayton’ – Becoming more popular in the trade, this selection bears clear yellow blooms that repeat throughout the season.

‘Sulphurea’ (also known as ‘Flava’) – This form features profuse bright yellow blooms and bright green foliage.

‘Major Wheeler’: Coral (pinky red) on the outside and orange on the inside.

‘Dropmore Scarlet’ -  Bright Red.

‘Alba’– White.

Interesting Pairings: I made the mistake of planting invasive honeysuckle with some butterfly bushes in the front yard. It was totally my fault because I ordered it from ebay and they were suppose to send me the native honeysuckle. At the time (7 years ago or so) I wasn’t as experienced with these plants. I think these however would look great planted with butterfly bushes, providing a longer season of color and a nice contrast to the purple flowers of a butterfly bush.

*The Plant of the Week is based on plants that do well in my 7a/6b garden in SE Pennsylvania.

Allium, Purple Sensation

Allium w/ Sensitive Ferns and Hosta, ones on left have not fully opened yet

Alliums (Ornamental Onions)

Type: Perennial Bulb  (Zones 3-8).
Light Requirements: Full to Part Sun (some will work in Part Shade)
Moisture/Soil: Average moisture.
Blooms: Late spring to early summer (varies by variety)
Leaves: Green.
Size: Height: Varies by variety. Purple Sensation grows to about 30″ in part sun and full sun in my yard.
Additional Info: I grow several varieties. I love them and as a bonus the critters tend to not bother them (because of the onion smell).

Pros: They are very low maintenance and pest resistant. Most varieties are also quite reasonably priced (less than $1 a piece). Additionally you can leave the dried seed heads on to provide additional interest. Also they don’t need stacking.

Cons: I can’t think of any.

Origin: Varies.

Varieties: There are a LOT of varieties to choose from. I recommend picking several from different blooming periods. 

‘Purple Sensation’ – 20″-30″ tall, baseball sized flowers, blooms late spring (can be grown in part shade). Quite reasonably priced.

Drum Stick

‘Sphaerocephalon’ (drum stick) – 18″-24″ tall, golf ball sized flowers (reddish purple), blooms mid summer, very old variety, looks best when large quantity are planted. I have quite a few of these. The leaves look like onion grass, so be careful not to pull them out when weeding (which I have done). Very inexpensive!

‘Schubertii‘ – 18″ tall, volleyball size flowers (light purple), blooms very late spring (mine will probably bloom in a week or so). These are magical looking. They are kind of short on the stem, so they need to be towards the front of th e bed so they aren’t hidden by something else, but the flowers are enormous and very interesting.

‘Neapolitanum’ – 12-14″ tall, quarter size flower (white), late spring. Inexpensive, should be planted in mass.

Shubertii

Others (come in colors ranging from purples to white with a couple of varieties in yellow and pink) : Globemaster (extra large and pricey), Christophii, Ambassador, Graceful…

Interesting Pairings: For a couple of interesting companion planting ideas check out www.plantswise.com and her beautiful combination of coral bells/heuchera ‘carmel’ with Allium karataviense and Artemisia with Allium sphaerocephalon.  Apparently the heuchera ‘carmel’ (which I have quite a bit of) can grow in a more sunny location (mine grow in part shade). I may still try this out in the fall.

*The Plant of the Week is based on plants that do well in my 7a/6b garden in SE Pennsylvania.

Bluebells

Patch of Bluebells (after peak bloom)

Close up of Flowers

Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells, Virginia Cowslip, Lungwort Oysterleaf, Roanoke Bells)

Type: Perennial, ephemeral plant (Zones 3-9). Flowers in spring and then disappears by summer.

Light Requirements: Part Sun to Shade

Moisture/Soil: Average moisture. Neutral to slightly acidic soil.

Blooms: Mid spring. Lasts for a couple of weeks.

Leaves: Blueish-green oval shaped

Size: Height: 18″‘  Width: 6-12″

Additional Info:These are native to the eastern part of the US. I have tried to plant them in several clumps. I have move the poor things a couple of times now, so I haven’t had much self seeding yet (hopefully this year). I still need to find a plant to fill in for later in the summer and fall to take their place after they die back (maybe ferns although mine are placed in a part sun location). They would look beautiful with Bleeding Hearts (similar bloom time and habit of dying back). I planted mine from bare roots that I bought on ebay. They didn’t come up the first year so I thought they died, but sure enough the next spring the popped up!

Pros: Beautiful native plant.

Cons: It dies back quite quickly and you may forget where it is planted. Fortunately they always seem to return. They sometimes need staking.

Origin: Eastern U.S.

Varieties: I don’t know of any.