Harlequin Honeysuckle

JaneG · Post by **JaneG** » May 22, 2005 1:43 pm

Has anyone grown this?

I bought one yesterday to vine up one side of the arbor over the deck. There is a scarlet honeysuckle on the other side.

This Harlequin Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum 'Harlequin') has the prettiest varigated leaves. I hadn't intended on putting a honeysuckle on this side of the arbor, but when I saw it, I had to have it. I want very full coverage and I assume since this variety is variegated it may grow a little slower, but I'm willing to give it a little time. The leaves are green and cream with little bits of pink where the green and cream meet. Sweet!

Anyone have experience with this one??

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » May 23, 2005 12:21 am

Never heard of a varigated honeysuckle. From what I've been able to read, the periclymenum has a fragrant flower, unlike the sempervirens.

does yours give a flower color? Seem they vary from white to purple.

mooie · Post by **mooie** » May 23, 2005 5:47 am

Yes! I have a couple of these and we also sell them at the garden center where I work.

So far mine haven't really shown the aggressiveness of the regular hs vine, and the color is spectacular!
OED, the flower bud on these is purple, maturing to dark pink...well that's not an accurate color description but the best I can do at 4:30 am.

Found a pic for ya!

mooie

JaneG · Post by **JaneG** » May 23, 2005 11:33 am

Really OED, you don't have one?? You gotta get one!! I don't have the tag in front of me here at work, but I do remember that it specifically said the flowers ARE fragrant. I think the bloom color was pink/purple/maroon or something along those lines.

The leaves are fabulous, you've gotta check this one out. So different from the plain honeysuckle leaves.

Speaking of honeysuckle, I saw my first hummingbird of the season yesterday, it was on the honeysuckle arbor over the deck.

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » May 25, 2005 12:00 am

I've been checking around hear and don't seem to be able to find it.
Anyone in for a swap of a few cuttings for ???

JaneG · Post by **JaneG** » May 28, 2008 5:01 pm

Here's an update from the Variegated Honeysuckle that I found 3 years ago. It didn't do much in '05, 06, then last year I noticed a few of the vines got some serious length to them. This year I was able to wind it about 12 feet up the arbor. This is the first year it has really bloomed enough for me to take note.

It doesn't seem to have as much pink in the leaves as it did in the first photo, but the green and cream leaves are a nice contract to the purple-ish red blooms.

I tried to get starts from a few pieces that broke off earlier this spring when I was weaving it through the lattice. They died . . .

. I'm going to run one of the vines along the ground with a light covering of soil and something to keep it on the moist ground, to see if I can get some new starts.

LucyGoose · Post by **LucyGoose** » May 28, 2008 10:59 pm

Jane.....did you or did you ever prune it early? Like when it starts to grow, then prune so it gets more sprouts? Just wondering if that would help.....I know I am learning on the clemmies I have to prune early.