Honeysuckle, Coral 'Honey Coral'

Honey Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens 'Honey Coral')

Honey Coral Honeysuckle is a cultivated selection of the eastern North American native Coral Honeysuckle, a twining vine celebrated for tubular coral-red flowers and its close relationship with hummingbirds. Unlike invasive Asian bush honeysuckles, native Lonicera sempervirens belongs naturally in eastern woodland edges, open forests, and thickets. Trained onto a trellis, fence, arbor, or other support, it adds a flowering vertical layer without occupying much ground space, while its flowers, foliage, and berries provide resources for several different parts of the native food web.

Key Characteristics

Tubular flowers are made for hummingbirds
Coral Honeysuckle's elongated flowers place nectar deep within the floral tube, perfectly suited to the long bill and tongue of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). Its coral-red coloration is another classic hummingbird-pollination trait. Position the vine near a porch, arbor, or garden seating area and these feeding interactions can be remarkably easy to observe.

A host plant for the spectacular Snowberry Clearwing
The foliage does more than support the floral display. Native honeysuckles are larval host plants for the Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis), a striking daytime-flying sphinx moth often mistaken for a hummingbird or large bumble bee. Allowing caterpillars to consume some foliage turns the vine into breeding habitat rather than simply an adult nectar source.

Berries extend its value into the bird garden
After successful pollination, clusters of bright red berries develop and may be eaten by songbirds. This creates a useful seasonal progression: spring and summer flowers supply nectar, foliage supports caterpillars, and later fruit provides another wildlife food source. The berries are for wildlife rather than human consumption.

A vertical layer for food forests and habitat gardens
Honey Coral can be trained along fences, trellises, arbors, and other sturdy supports, making productive use of vertical space. It is especially effective along sunny woodland edges, native pollinator gardens, and food-forest margins where it can climb without overwhelming young trees. Pair it with flowering plants such as Columbine, Bee Balm, Mountain Mint, asters, and goldenrods to extend nectar availability beyond the honeysuckle's main flowering period.

Product Details

• Native range: Cultivated selection of Lonicera sempervirens, native to the eastern and south-central United States
• Plant life cycle: Perennial woody vine; evergreen to semi-evergreen in warmer portions of its range
• Sun requirements: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil requirements: Medium-dry to medium, well-drained
• Mature height: Approximately 8–15 feet when supported
• Bloom time: April–June, often with intermittent rebloom through September
• Bloom color: Coral-red to red-orange, often yellow within
• USDA Hardiness zones: 4–9

Give Honey Coral a sturdy support and enough sun to encourage abundant flowering. It can tolerate partial shade, but flowering is generally strongest with more direct light. Rather than allowing it to climb into small trees or shrubs, provide a dedicated trellis or fence where growth can be easily managed. Combining it with native plants that flower before and after its main bloom creates a vertical habitat feature with a much longer season of activity.