Amidst a sea of the invasive Japanese honeysuckle is found a jewel in the park. Growing in an area that has lost much of its tall trees, where there is more sun, the coral honeysuckle climbs up just a few trees.
The fused leaf just below the flower is a distinctive quality of the vine.
A great garden specimen, this plant is available in at plant nurseries. It can flower all summer long if it is planted in a good location.
This vine also attracts hummingbirds.
They do not have the aroma of the Japanese Honeysuckle, however its many other qualities more than make up for that. We had the Japanese honeysuckle in our yard growing up the fence. After ripping it out and planting the native one, we got more flowering and the hummingbirds. Somewhere there is a family of them now planning the 1000 + mile trip up to Philly this spring so they can live near our vine.
Choose a sunny spot for your contribution to the hummingbird ecosystem.
Living near the earth is a healing to our bodies, hearts and minds, and the earth! The symbiosis is regent, and the light that emerges from this connecting heals beyond our single dimension. One walk through your eyes at what is flowering and climbing and emerging in our woods, looking for both the natives and avoiding the poison ivy (ah, the dark and the light, though all are light, only dark to our own skins perhaps), brings us closer in to our deeper human selves… We can hear the earth itself breathing. Blessings…
We view poison ivy as an important part of the native ecosytem, it has its place in the forest. Just dont touch it! each and everyplant is a learning experience, some plants can be enlightening to touch.
Scott, our cultivated ones in our backyard are just now flowering, and the ones in the forest are in peak bloom. Hopefully you will get a bloom this summer and a hummingbird as well! The vine will need sun to bloom.
Are these flowering already!? I planted one in the fall, and it’s really growing right now. Hope to see some flowers this summer!