This lovely loosely twining vine blooms in spring with yellow to red tubular flowers that are a favorite for hummingbirds and butterflies. Like many native honeysuckles, the leaves just below the flowers are fused together like a cup – all the better to display the blooms. The flowers develop into a fruit that gradually ripens from green through yellow to bright red – a sign to birds that they are ready to be eaten. This well-behaved woody vine can be trained up structures or onto nearby woody plants.
Note: if bunnies are known in your area, it may be best to cage the base of this vine. At Stoneleigh, the gardener in Catalpa Court is constantly discouraging rabbits from this plant – especially in late winter and early spring.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; best in moist, well-drained soils; tolerant of wet conditions
Size: 3’ - 10’ long tendrils that tend to climb loosely up rather than out.
Zone: 3a - 5b
Wildlife Value: Flowers support butterflies and hummingbirds; fruits eaten by songbirds; larval host for Hummingbird and Snowberry Clearwings
Photos: Kristen Ryan