How to Grow and Care for Cape Honeysuckle

Cape honeysuckle is a rambling broadleaf evergreen shrub often grown in warm climates, where its blazing orange hues provide winter color and sweet nectar attracts hummingbirds. Perennial to warmer regions such as USDA hardiness zones 9-11, this colorful shrub blooms best in a full sun location and prefers moist but well-draining soil.

Cape Honeysuckle Care

Overall, this shrub should stay happy and healthy over its lifetime with little maintenance. Here are the main care requirements for growing cape honeysuckle:

• Grows in full sun or partial shade.
• Keep soil moist and well-drained.
• Protect this plant if grown in an area that receives frost, which can damage its leaves and branches, by covering the roots in mulch or overwintering.
• Feed annually with a balanced fertilizer only if your soil is lacking in nutrients.

Light

Cape honeysuckle is a tropical plant that grows well in full sun or partial shade. In its native habitat, cape honeysuckle is often found growing in dappled light in the forest understory. In extremely hot climates, it might actually do better in partial shade locations. The denser the shade, however, the less vigorous the blooming.

Soil

This plant does well in almost any soil type provided it is kept moist and the soil is well-drained. Don't fret about the pH of your soil too much, as this plant can handle both acidic and alkaline soils. It also succeeds in salty locations like coastal regions.

Water

Water your cape honeysuckle weekly (about one inch) if you are growing it in full sun, or just once or twice a month if it is grown in shade. After a year of regular watering, the roots should be established enough to provide drought tolerance.

Temperature and Humidity

Cape honeysuckle is a tropical plant that thrives in USDA cold hardiness zones 9–11. It is heat and drought tolerant, but its branches and leaves tend to die back at temperatures under 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fertilizer

If you've tested the soil and determined it is lacking in nutrients, go ahead and feed it annually with a balanced fertilizer. In most cases, though, feeding is not needed for this vigorous grower.

Types of Cape Honeysuckle

The various named cultivars of cape honeysuckle have identical growth habits but have been bred to have different flower colors:

• T. capensis 'Aurea': This cultivar features golden-yellow flowers and grows up to 8 feet tall and wide. It is a more heat-tolerant variety.
• T. capensis ''Coccinea': This version has bright red or scarlet blooms and grows up to 8 feet tall and wide.
• T. capensis ''Salmonea': This cultivar produces orange or pink flowers and grows up to 8 feet tall and wide.
• T. capensis ''Apricot': This is a more compact version, growing 6 to 8 feet tall and up to 8 feet wide, with apricot-orange flowers.

Pruning

Pruning your cape honeysuckle depends on the growth habit you want to maintain. If you're growing it as a hedge, trimming might be required on a regular basis because the plant grows quickly. Cut it back to the ground every three to four years in the spring (or as needed) to prevent it from sprawling. At the beginning of spring, remove branches that have been damaged by frost.

This plant freely produces suckers. If you don't want this plant to spread, remove the suckers immediately. If you are growing this plant as a vine, less maintenance is required to keep it trained to grow onto its support structure.

Propagating Cape Honeysuckle

Because cape honeysuckle produces suckers, the plant will naturally propagate itself for you. You can also propagate the plant with softwood cuttings.

To propagate with suckers:

1. You can simply wait until a sucker has rooted and produced new growth, then you can clip the stem connecting it to the main plant, dig it up, and move to where you would like it.
2. Help the process along if you wish by burying the off-shoot stems in the spring. Then in the fall, once the new growth is established, simply cut the stem connecting it to the main plant, dig it up and place it where you want it.

To propagate with softwood cuttings:

1. Use sharp pruners to clip off five-inch-long softwood stems.
2. Trim off all except the top leaves.
3. If the base of your cuttings are woody, use your shears to scrape off some of the bark.
4. Dip the base of the cutting in rooting hormone.
5. Plant the cutting in a pot filled with standard potting mix. (You can mix peat and perlite into the soil to improve chances for success.)
6. Keep the cuttings moist and at a temperature of between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Placing a plastic bag over the pot can help retain moisture.
7. Expose the cuttings to a normal daylight schedule. The roots will be established in 2 to 14 weeks, at which time they can be transplanted to your yard or garden.

How to Grow Cape Honeysuckle From Seed

Cape honeysuckle grows well from seeds collected from the dried bean-like pods left by the faded flowers. It will bloom in the second year when grown from seed. Here's how to start seedlings:

1. Plant the seeds in shallow trays and cover them in sand or seed-starting mix.
2. Place in a warm spot with full to part sun.
3. Seeds will germinate in 6 to 21 days
4. Plant seedlings once they have developed sturdy roots.

Potting and Repotting Cape Honeysuckle

Cape honeysuckle makes a great container plant if you live in an area with the tropical weather they crave. Plant them in pots with good-sized drainage holes and filled with standard potting mix. Increase the container size by two inches each time you repot—whenever roots are evident growing out the drainage holes. Bring potted plants indoors in colder months to protect them for the next season.

Overwintering

Within its recognized hardiness zone, cape honeysuckle requires no special treatment for the winter months. In USDA cold hardiness zone 8, it is sometimes possible to keep the plant growing in the garden if you give it a thick layer of protective mulch over the winter—these plants don't like temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and will die back when temperatures reach 25 degrees.

If your plant is growing in a container, bring it indoors before the first frost and keep it by a bright window. If any branches are damaged by frost, wait until spring to trim them off before moving the plant outdoors.

Common Pests

Cape honeysuckle attracts aphids and scale insects, both of which enjoy the plant's new growth and foliage. Spider mites and whiteflies might also be a problem for plants grown indoors. You can rid your plant of these pests with insecticidal soap.

How to Get Cape Honeysuckle to Bloom

As long as its getting enough sunlight and water, cape honeysuckle should bloom reliably.

Bloom Months

Cape honeysuckle typically blooms from fall to spring, between the months of October and March.

What Do Cape Honeysuckle Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Cape honeysuckle has 2-inch, trumpet-shaped flowers that grow in clusters that can be yellow, apricot, red, or orange. Unlike honeysuckle, cape honeysuckle doesn’t have a scent, but the flower’s nectar attracts birds, butterflies, and bees.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Cape honeysuckle will generally bloom vigorously from fall to spring if it is receiving enough sun. Even in partial shade, it should produce ample flowers. Excessive shade, though, will reduce its blossoms. If all other circumstances are favorable but your plant still doesn't bloom, try giving it a late summer dose of balanced fertilizer prior to the fall/winter blooming season.

Caring for Cape Honeysuckle After It Blooms

Cape honeysuckle doesn't require any special care once it's done blooming. However, you may want to consider cleaning up the spent blooms for aesthetic reasons or pruning the plant.

Deadheading Cape Honeysuckle Flowers

Cape honeysuckle is a self-cleaning plant, so deadheading is not required.

Common Problems With Cape Honeysuckle

Cape honeysuckle is a fairly easy-going plant. In fact, your main concern may be that the plant is growing too fast and spreading too much, so choose your planting location wisely.

Aggressive Growth

The most common problem with cape honeysuckle (perhaps the only problem) is that it can grow rather unruly if you don't prune it back frequently. This is especially problematic if you are trying to grow them as hedge plants. In addition to cutting back the actively growing stems, be on the lookout for runners and suckers that can take over a garden.

Rampant growth is most troublesome in warm, wet climates. Withholding water is one strategy to keep the plant under control. Aside from merely controlling its size, frequent pruning will keep the plant dense and full. Untended, these plants can get leggy and unattractively sparse.

Leaf Scorch

Leaves that turn yellow and brown before falling off can be caused by a number of cultural problems: frost, too much wind or sun, or nutrient deficiencies. Diagnosis by a professional—or at least a soil analysis might be needed.