Hi, I put in a honeysuckle that was supposed to be semi-evergreen, long-blooming, a vigorous climber and fragrant.
The other characteristics may prove to be true, but I can't smell it. I'm thinking I'll give it away before it gets all wound up in the arbor; can anyone recommend a replacement? I need a long-blooming climber that's good in zone 8 and fragrant (evergreen would be good too but it's not a deal-breaker).
Thanks!
Larisa
seeking suggestions for a fragrant climber
How about Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)? It smells great and when it's in bloom you can smell it from some distance away and it smells very nice. It's also evergreen, only thing I'm not sure about is whether it would meet your definition of long-blooming, I think it blooms for a decent period (never counted the weeks though), but it's not in bloom for the whole summer or anything like that. You could also try another honeysuckle since many of them are very fragrant, I would get input from people here about which species/cultivars are the most fragrant though and then go to the nursery, that way you shouldn't end up with a surprise like this time.
Thanks!
I'm considering Star Jasmine actually; I've got one in a pot by the front door and I like it, but the honeysuckle was supposed to bloom from June to frost, so that has raised the bar a bit on "long-bloomingness". It's a trade-off though; the blossoms are small and inconspicuous, and since they don't smell either, I'm not getting much, June through frost, am I?
Do you have a favorite honeysuckle, for fragrance and length of bloom time?
I don't have any honeysuckle right now, but there's one that I walk by with my dog every day that smells wonderful, looks like Lonicera japonica but I'm not really sure on that. If you don't get any other suggestions, when I come back from vacation I'll try to take a pic of it and post in on the ID forum to find out which one it is, it smells really, really yummy! No idea how long it blooms either, I just moved here and it was blooming the first time I walked that way a month ago and it's still blooming now, but that's all I know.
Several clematis are fragrant and might be evergreen [or semi] in your zone. Passion vines are nice but not evergreen.
Have you considered roses?
The 'Goldflame' honeysuckle is so fragrant. It blooms all summer long. It isn't everygreen tho. I cut it back to the ground in the fall and it comes back bigger each year. I just love the smell of that one. I am rooting some of it put more around the gardens so I can smell it more.
I have 'Star Jasmine' and it blooms from a few weeks ago for awhile. It is evergreen but is quite slow on growing. Not the fastest guy in town.
I also have the 'Hall' honeysuckle. I do like the smell of it a lot but the plant isn't the best looking. Tho it is in part shade so that may be the reason for poor looking plant.
Carol
Thanks, everybody!
BTW passion vines are actually evergreen in my microclimate, but they are brutes. We had one in our front yard, and the 30 ft vines covered everything, plus we had it popping up all over the yard.
Carol, what does your Hall honeysuckle look like? The honeysuckle I have was sold to me as 'Hall', but I don't find it particularly fragrant, and I have a sensitive nose.
Here is the 'Goldflame' honeysuckle behind the dahlias. I will try to find another picture from last year of the actual blooms close-up.
My 'Hall' is more fragrant early in the morning or in the evening. Not daytime much, I have found. Especially with the wind.
A close-up of 'Goldflame'.
A close-up of 'Hall's' honeysuckle. Ignore my finger, was so dirty from the digging in the dirt last year, LOL
I wish someone could tell me what I'm doing wrong trying to root honeysuckle..it grows like weeds here in VA...but I wanted some IN my backyard. I went and got green cuttings, put them in water...but they end up dying on me!! What am I doing wrong?
BTW, that Goldflame is a looker!! Very nice!!
I use a mix ratio of perlite and soil, 80 : 20. To root my plants. I have also used some very wet soil to just root things too.
Not all plants like to root in water.
I am rooting some 'Goldflame' honeysuckle right now for another person. If you would like one later this fall to trade with me, just let me know.
Yes, I do like it a lot and smells great.
Carol
Ooh, I'd like one. The photos of goldflame above, just about made up my mind.l I don't know if I have anything you'd want in trade though.
Carol,
Not sure who you were talking about trading with...but I'd love to. Would it be ok planted in the fall? If you were talking about trading with me please let me know what plant you'd be interetest in so I can have some rooted for you.
Chantell, I was talking about you.
I looked at your trade list and you don't have anything I would like. Do you have anything else? Let me know.
Carol
Carol,
I'm sorry...I've planted some vining plants...but not sure what size they'll be by fall. One, I was told, has Gardenia scented blooms....the other is Sweet Almond Clematis. I have a townhouse so my yard is not but so big - no worries if I don't have anything you're intertested in. I completely understand.
Chantell, I'm probably going to buy a goldflame honeysuckle, so I could root you a cutting if you want.
Larisa
LarisaB, you can have one of my upcoming rooted ones too, if you want. I can share with all, LOL
You don' t need to buy one. They root very easily.
Carol
Daisyruffles, thank you for the photos! I had no internet connection for a few days.
Unless you have very tiny hands, my supposedly-Halls honeysuckle gets much smaller blossoms than yours. I definitely want a Goldflame. There was a hummingbird in that part of my garden yesterday looking for goodies; I want to motivate him to come back :) I imagine they like honeysuckles?
Oooh, thanks!!! I'll definitely pay postage and such.
No, my hands are very small. Am only 5' tall.
I don't know if hummingbirds like honeysuckles or not. Need to watch where a couple hummingbirds go beyond my fushias tho.
Fine, I will let you know when they are ready.
Carol
Carol,
Thank you so much!!! If you decide you'd like some sedum or whatever's on my trade list please let me know!!
dumb question: how do I make a trade list?
Larisa,
My brain is MIA...hopefully someone else remembers...LOL
Go to the Trading tab, then click on Manage Your Own Trade Lists, then scroll down until you find the category for the plant you have to trade (or that you are looking for), click on it, then click on add a new item in this category, and put in the appropriate info.
Carol,
Can't believe I forgot about this...I'm getting in variegated honeysuckle plugs...if you'd like for me to trade you some of that for the type you have, just let me know.
Variegated? That sounds very interested. Yes, that would be good to trade with then. Where are you getting plugs from?
My cuttings do not like this heat we are having so will have to maybe take then inside where it is cooler.
Carol
Here's the info on it: http://www.terranovanurseries.com/wholesale/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=196
Will be getting a few of them through a co-op JodyC did.
Larisa,
Just an FYI, I've got Conferate Jasmine that bloomed this spring and is in bloom again...not an over-powering scent but it's there...ahhh, love it!! You might want to try that!!
That's interesting that yours doesn't have a strong smell--unless there's something else that goes by the name Confederate jasmine I believe that's the same Trachelospermum jasminoides that was suggested earlier, but my personal experience with it has been that it has a very powerful scent, one of the few plants that I can generally smell from great distances away--most other things I have to practically stick my nose in to smell them, but I can smell this one from many, many feet away (maybe it's because mine was an older vine with lots of flowers?)
That varigated honeysuckle looks good and sounds neat. Love to try that one!
I think you're correct re age of the plant. Mine was just planted this spring...and there are flowers but not a lot...can't wait till it matures then as the scent I did pick up was wonderful!!
Chantell, I've got a confederate jasmine that I really love, but it's too slow a grower for this arbor; I was hoping to have some overhead shade by next year. My jasmine is six years old, I think, and only five feet tall or so. It doesn't rebloom, but things are all dried out and droughty around here by this time of year, so maybe that's a factor?
Dried out is far from what we'd been experiencing!! I was complaining over on the Cactus and Succulant forum about moving the cacti in and out...depending on the rain we were getting or not...grrr!!!
Oh, send some of that our way, would you? My rain barrels are empty, and we don't expect more than a quarter inch of rainfall before mid-September.
Yep, we sure could use some up here in the NW.
Mercy...happy medium for everyone sounds like it would be ideal, eh? They're calling for possibility of scatter t-storms till next week here...UGH!!
My honeysuckle doesn't have a strong smell during the day but at night and early in the morning, look out...It's a lovely, powerful and "clean" fragrance that carries over my whole garden. I think I've got Halls & my hummers love it. I have it growing on the same arbor as my confederate jasmine which is strongest during the day & is evergreen. O.K, I also have a purple clematis in the mix.
That sounds like a lovely combination!