Overview

Introduce a vibrant splash of color and a sweet, captivating aroma to your outdoor space with this exquisite coral honeysuckle live plant. Known botanically as Lonicera sempervirens ‘Dropmore Scarlet’, this particular variety, the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle, is celebrated for its stunning scarlet-orange, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom profusely throughout the growing season. As a vigorous fragrant climbing vine, it is an ideal choice for gardeners looking to quickly cover unsightly fences, adorn pergolas, or create a natural privacy screen. This live plant arrives ready for planting, offering a robust start to establish a beautiful, pollinator-friendly feature in your landscape. Its captivating blooms not only provide visual appeal but also attract hummingbirds and butterflies, bringing your garden to life with activity and natural charm. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, this honeysuckle offers rewarding growth and continuous beauty.

Key Benefits

Cultivating a coral honeysuckle live plant brings numerous advantages to any garden. Its ease of care combined with its aesthetic and ecological benefits makes it a highly desirable addition:

• Stunning Visual Appeal: The ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ variety boasts brilliant scarlet-orange, tubular flowers that create a dramatic and colorful display from spring through fall. These eye-catching blooms are sure to be a focal point in any garden design.
• Attracts Pollinators: This honeysuckle is a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies, which are drawn to its nectar-rich flowers. Planting this vine contributes to local biodiversity and supports essential pollinator populations.
• Fragrant Blooms: While not as intensely fragrant as some other honeysuckle varieties, the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle still offers a pleasant, subtle scent, especially noticeable on warm evenings. Its delicate perfume enhances the sensory experience of your garden.
• Vigorous Growth Habit: As a strong fragrant climbing vine, it quickly establishes itself and provides excellent coverage, making it perfect for trellises, arbors, and fences. It offers rapid vertical interest and can swiftly transform bare structures.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, the coral honeysuckle live plant is relatively easy to care for, requiring minimal pruning and being tolerant of various soil conditions. This makes it a great choice for busy gardeners seeking high impact with low effort.
• Drought Tolerant: This resilient plant shows good drought tolerance once mature, reducing the need for constant watering and making it suitable for water-wise landscaping.
• Disease Resistant: Lonicera sempervirens varieties, including this one, are generally more resistant to common honeysuckle diseases like powdery mildew, ensuring a healthier and more robust plant.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your coral honeysuckle live plant is straightforward, ensuring a thriving and beautiful display. This resilient vine prefers full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, to achieve its best flowering performance. While it can tolerate partial shade, flowering may be reduced. Ensure it has a sturdy support structure to climb, such as a trellis, arbor, or fence, as it is a vigorous climber. Providing adequate support from the start will encourage healthy, upward growth and prevent sprawling.

When it comes to watering, the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle prefers consistently moist soil, especially during its establishment period. Once mature, it becomes more drought-tolerant. Water deeply and regularly, allowing the top inch or two of soil to dry out between waterings. Well-draining soil is crucial to prevent root rot; amend heavy clay soils with organic matter to improve drainage. This honeysuckle plant care typically involves a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring to support its vigorous growth and abundant flowering. Pruning is best done after the main flush of blooms to maintain shape, control size, and encourage new growth. Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches. While generally resistant to pests and diseases, monitor for common garden issues and address them promptly. This lonicera plant is quite hardy and offers excellent performance with proper care.

Size & Details

This coral honeysuckle live plant is supplied in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, providing a healthy root system ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container. At the time of shipment, the plant typically ranges from 6 to 12 inches in height, with established growth that will quickly extend once planted. The Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle is known for its rapid growth rate, often reaching heights of 10 to 20 feet if given adequate support, and a spread of 3 to 6 feet. It will begin to produce its characteristic scarlet-orange blooms within its first year or two after planting, with the main flowering period extending from late spring through fall, and often continuing into winter in milder climates. This fragrant climbing vine is a long-lived perennial, offering many years of beauty and ecological benefits to your landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this coral honeysuckle live plant get? A: This vigorous vine can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet and spread 3 to 6 feet, depending on growing conditions and support. It’s an excellent choice for covering large structures.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The coral honeysuckle live plant is shipped in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, providing a sturdy start for your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an outdoor plant, thriving in garden settings where it can climb. It requires full sun and ample space to grow.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal blooming, the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. It can tolerate partial shade but may produce fewer flowers.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, this honeysuckle plant care is considered relatively easy. Once established, it is low maintenance, drought-tolerant, and generally robust, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your lonicera plant will arrive as a healthy, live plant with an established root system in its nursery pot, carefully packaged to ensure safe transit.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this honeysuckle? A: The best time to plant is in spring or early fall, allowing the plant to establish its roots before extreme weather. However, it can be planted any time the ground is not frozen.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ cultivar is quite cold-hardy, generally thriving in USDA Zones 4-9. It is deciduous in colder climates but returns vigorously in spring.
• Q: What is the expected blooming period? A: This honeysuckle typically blooms from late spring through fall, and in some milder climates, it can continue to produce flowers into early winter, offering extended seasonal interest.
• Q: Does this honeysuckle have a strong fragrance? A: While many honeysuckles are known for intense fragrance, the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle offers a more subtle, sweet scent, particularly noticeable during warm evenings.