Trumpet Honeysuckle, Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Family: Caprifoliaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Orange, Red. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late fall, Mid summer, Mid fall. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Variable height, Variable spread.
Lonicera sempervirens is an evergreen Shrub growing to 5 m (16ft 5in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower in June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 5
Where it is found
Borders of woods and thickets.
Eastern and Southern N. America - Connecticut to Florida and Texas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The fruit is emetic and cathartic. The expressed juice of the plant is beneficial in the treatment of bee stings. The leaves have been dried and smoked as a treatment for asthma.
Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.
Cathartic: A strong laxative but less violent than a purgative.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Stings: Used in the treatment of stings and insect bites.
Other
Rating:
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Arbor, Specimen. Succeeds in most soils but prefers a good moist soil in a sunny position. Does not fruit so well when grown in the shade. Plants are very hardy, tolerating temperatures down to -15°c or lower, though they can be deciduous in cold winters. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Wetlands plant, Attracts butterflies, Extended bloom season in Zones 9A and above, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. Woody. Growth habit is a single or multiple shooting vine from a crown.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 months cold stratification and should be sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with or without a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm with or without a heel, November in a cold frame. Good percentage. Layering in autumn.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 4-9
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist