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Brown's honeysuckle

Lonicera x brownii

Common names:
Brown's honeysuckle, scarlet trumpet honeysuckle

Content Detail

Brown’s honeysuckle is a hybrid that produces tubular red flowers for most of the growing season.

  • Family (English) Honeysuckle
  • Family (botanic) Caprifoliaceae
  • Tree or plant type Vine
  • Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
  • Native locale Non-native
  • Size range Large plant (more than 24 inches)
  • Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
  • Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7
  • Soil preference Acid soil, Moist, well-drained soil
  • Tolerances Alkaline soil, clay soil, Occasional drought
  • Season of interest early summer, midsummer, late summer
  • Flower color and fragrance Red, Other
  • Shape or form Vining
  • Growth rate Fast

Size and Method of Climbing: 

Brown’s honeysuckle grows 8 to 12 feet long and is a twining vine. Twining vines climb by twisting their stems or leaf stalks around a support. This type of vine grows well on trellises,  arbors, wires, or chain-link fences.

Native geographic location and habitat:

This plant is of hybrid origin.

Leaf description:

Simple, opposite leaves are dark green in summer. Leaf margins are entire. Leaf color changes little in the fall. 

Flower description:

Tubular, red to orange-red flowers hang in clusters. Flowers are lightly fragrant to not fragrant at all.

Fruit description:

Red berries form in late summer and fall.

 

Plant care:

Full sun to partial shade is best in  moist, well-drained soils. Prune in late winter or early spring.

List of pests and diseases:

Aphids can be a problem. Tolerant of black walnut toxicity.

 

Dropmore Scarlet Brown’s honeysuckle (Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’):

Red to orange-red flowers bloom from June through October.

Mandarin Brown’s honeysuckle (Lonicera x brownii ‘Mandarin’):  

Flowers are orange-red on the outside and yellow-orange on the inside. New leaves emerge copper-colored. No fruit is produced.

 

 

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