The Firecracker Honeysuckle
With fragrant flowers and a vigorous growth habit the Firecracker Honeysuckle makes a good choice for covering up fences and outbuildings.
The flowers of this hybrid plant are large and spidery, a mixture of red, pink and golden yellow. Although this is a climbing plant, it can also be trained and pruned into a small bushy shrub.
Try growing this free flowering plant amongst other climbing plants that flower at different times of the year. You can also train Lonicera x heckrottii along a fence and prune it to make a flowering hedge.
Care
Best in a humus rich well drained soil, the Firecracker Honeysuckle will reach 3 to 5 metres in height unless pruned.
Choose a position where the root system is in part shade and the plant itself can grow into the sun. It is a plant that will grow in shade, lower flowering may be limited in deep shade.
Once established this is a reasonably drought tolerant plant and it is a less aggressive in growth habit than some others.
Pruning
Prune after flowering to maintain a more compact growth habit.
Summary Information
- Botanical Name – Lonicera x heckrottii
- Common Name – Firecracker Honeysuckle or Firecracker Lonicera
- Position – Full sun to light shade
- Soil – Humus rich well drained.
- Flowers – Large spidery Red Ping and Gold, fragrant.
- Flowering time – Summer
- Foliage – Mid green
- Growth Rate – Medium to Fast.
- Frost tolerant – Yes
- Drought tolerant – Yes, once established.
Available for sale from the following nurseries
412 James Lane, Fern Hill VIC. 3458 - Phone 0419002651
Large range of Rare plants, Climbers, Bulbs, Perennials Fruit Trees, Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. Available both Retail and by Mail Order
www.whitehousenursery.com.au