LONICERA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LONICERA. 649 



there are a few that have axillary flowers, 

 and of these Lonicera japonica is a 

 typical example, while the commonest 

 example of the Bush Honeysuckles is 

 the Tartarian Honeysuckle. 



They all flourish best in a light rich soil 

 in a fully-exposed sunny position. It is a 

 mistake to plant Honeysuckles at the base 

 of shady trees and expect them to climb 

 up and produce crops of flowers as they 

 do when in the open. Honeysuckles 

 naturally delight to twine upon other 

 plants, but in shade they do not flower. 

 One often sees a thicket overrun with 

 common Honeysuckle, but until the trees 

 have been cut the Honeysuckle does not 

 flower so well. It loves to ramble over a 

 hedge, as we see it by the wayside, and in 

 the garden one can make various hedge 

 combinations with it and some other 

 hedge plants, such as Sweet Brier and 

 Holly. To cultivate Honeysuckles to 

 perfection, they should not be planted 

 near any other living shrub, but should 

 be supported by a dead tree trunk or 

 trellis, as then the Honeysuckle gets all 

 the food from the soil. This is why one 

 sees plants of Honeysuckle on a wire 

 trellis bearing much finer blooms than is 

 the case when growing over trees or 

 hedges. A good plan is to plant some 

 in good soil against wooden posts at 

 distances of 12 ft. apart, and when they 

 have reached the top of the posts to 

 connect them by a festooning chain from 

 post to post, as Roses and Clematises are 

 often done. 



Some attention is required in pruning, 

 especially the European and American 

 deciduous species. The old stems should 

 be cut away so as to encourage new ones, 

 otherwise if allowed to go unpruned the 

 plants die out. The Japanese Honey- 

 suckles are more vigorous, and only 

 require pruning to keep them in check. 

 This is especially the case with L. japonica 

 and its variegated form, which soon form 

 an impenetrable mass of shoots, and that 

 is why they should not be grown on an 

 arbour or over a walk, as owing to the 

 dense shade the under side becomes full 

 of dead leaves and shoots. The Dutch 

 and similar growing kinds are best suited 

 for arbours. 



L. Caprifolium ( The Goats-leaf Honey- 

 suckle] is a common plant, but not a true 

 native, though it occurs occasionally in a 

 naturalised state. The flowers, borne in 

 clusters, have long tubes, yellowish and 

 blush tinted, and very fragrant, coming in 

 May and June, succeeded in autumn by 

 yellowish berries. It is a robust, twiner, 

 and grows wild in chalky districts in 



hedges and woods. There are numerous 

 recorded names of varieties of this 

 Honeysuckle, among them being rubella, 

 pallida, verna, villosa, atrosanguinea, and 

 Magnevillei. The last-named is one of 

 the most distinct. 



L. confusa of De Candolle is the 

 beautiful Honeysuckle that is grown 

 under the name of L. Halleana. A 

 slender plant with long twining branches,, 

 the leaves are ovate and not pinnatifid,. 

 as in L. japonica, deep green, with 

 not such a ruddy tinge as in L. japonica,. 

 neither is there a variegated form. The 

 flowers are in pairs from the axils of the 

 leaves on the tips of the young shoots,, 

 pure white when first expanded, changing 

 to yellow, and this is the character that 

 makes the plant so beautiful apart from 

 its fragrance and free flowering. It 

 flowers throughout the summer, and its 

 lithe, slender stems will soon reach the 

 top of a wall or tree stump. 



L. flava (also named L. Fraseri in 

 collections) is a moderate climber, with 

 broad ovate leaves, pale green beneath,, 

 and terminal clusters of flowers, bright 

 rich yellow fading to a deeper shade, and 

 delightfully fragrant. It grows most 

 luxuriantly in the more Southern States,, 

 and hence is best when planted against a 

 sunny wall in this country. 



L. ' flexuosa. Out of flower this re- 

 sembles L. confusa, but the leaves, though 

 ovate and of a ruddy tinge, show no in- 

 clination to become pinnatifid or sinuated. 

 The flowers are tubular, reddish outside,, 

 whitish inside, and fragrant. At midsum- 

 mer it produces quite a mass of sweet- 

 scented blossoms and continues for a long 

 time in bloom. 



L. grata (The American Woodbine]. 

 This is a vigorous grower, having broad 

 glaucous leaves (almost evergreen). The 

 flowers are in clus- 

 ters, whitish, with a 

 purple tube fading 

 to a yellowish 

 shade, and fragrant. 

 It flowers in May, 

 and grows wild in 

 rocky woodlands in 

 the New England 

 States. 



L. japonica 

 {Japan Honey- 

 suckle]. This is as 

 hardy as the com- 

 mon Honeysuckle, 

 and retains its foli- 

 age during winter. 



It may be distinguished from the other 

 two Japanese species by its slender 



Loni 



cera japonica. 



