Gardening brings so much joy into the life of the gardener and others, it is a wonderful and useful hobby. Gardening is enjoying a huge resurgence this year. Easy to understand why.

You are going to love your coral honeysuckle, SPF. Mine is sooo great! It was one of the only things that came through the freezes unscathed this year. It was a solid block of ice...even the flowers. But it never lost a single leaf or bloom. And I've already seen hummingbirds on it this year. I plan to get a few more and put along my fence. It's a well-mannered vine, so I'm not worried about it taking over, either.

Congrats on your first blooms.

Hugs,
Marcia

I walk around my garden everyday to admire the new things or critters in my yard. Today there were two young cardinals in my spinach tree. And now that I know my pineapple is not an ornamental I enjoyed its blooms. Oh and how excited I got when I saw my pigeon peas blooms for the first time, or catching a fragrance and going on a hunt for its source. I'm always dragging DH outside saying you have too see this :-)

This morning I went to the front garden to see what was blooming and there was the cutest baby rabbit standing on the brick path. I wish I had my camera at the time. My wife pointed out our first hummingbird of the season getting nectar from a blottle brush. This is a wonderful time of the year.
Felix

My coral honeysuckle started blooming this weekend too! I love this vine and it never fails to bring in hummingbirds. Unlike Marcia's mine died back to the roots this winter - it looked like a dead bonsai tree. But once it started to grow it went from tiny leaf buds to full bloom within just over 2 weeks! I can almost watch it growing every day and the recent rains brought out the flowers.

Kate

Gosh, Kate...I wonder if that's a microclimate thing? Mine never lost a leaf, and it never stopped blooming. In fact, it has never been without blooms since I planted it two years ago. Interesting comparison. I know it was plenty cold right where it is, because the five foot tall porterweed next to it was frozen to the ground and beyond. (The roots were MUSH.) So was everything else around it. Maybe the coating of ice on it protected it?

But I'm glad yours is back. I'm planning to get a couple more for along my fences, I love it so much.

Marcia

Wow those look great. And I'm very cheered by all of your happy moments! Also very happy for you Saintpfla... first blooms are so exciting! I have an empty brick column (used to have this climbing fig that went nutso and had to be removed (and the overhead wood beams replaced due to the vines weight and rot... grr.) but anyways, do you think they would grow up brick or do they need to wrap? A plant that can really last (holy cow! that's great Marcia!)is going to be my planting motto when I start the rest of my outside yard. Except for my veggies of course. And my favorite annuals. And the new ones I'll have to try for the sake of experiment. (Ever heard of Pumpkin on a Stick? I hadn't before... so cool. I can't wait)
Sarah

Kate - great photo and what a nice view that you have!

Marcia - I agree...I think this is a new 'favorite' plant for me. It's beautiful once established and I won't have to spend the hot summer trimming it back (like I do with Skyvine!). I may look into getting some more Coral Honeysuckle also.

Trinigemini: it sounds like you spend your garden time the same way that I do...oh, look at that new plant, butterfly, bloom...or whatever. It's very enjoyable and relaxing.

Felix: I'm jealous of your bunny. There are no bunnies in my neighborhood. Possums and raccoons...but no bunnies.

MizAdventure: I think you should be able to grow it up a brick column. Brick usually has enough texture for it to latch onto. Good luck with that. I have never heard of Pumpkin on a Stick...now I'm curious!

I also have had a bunny in my yard since last fall. It is unusual becasue my yard is in the middle of a subdivision, but I have a lot of good things for him to eat. So very cute and he stays even tho I have two small dogs that give him a short chase around the yard, not more than 15 feet before they give out.

LOL Yeah it's pretty neat. It's actually an ornamental eggplant that looks like little mini pumpkins. So when it's ripe you remove all the leaves, cut the stems and display as a floral arrangement. I think I will try the Coral Honeysuckle- is it typically available at local nurseries or for order online? I prefer local as I usually like to see and touch things before I buy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pumpkin on a Stick

I think you should be able to find it locally.
If you can't and don't mind waiting, mine should be OK for taking cutting later this summer. I've found that it doesn't root well from green cuttings, but does OK with woody stem cuttings. I don't have much woody stem right now but will by late summer.

Since you liked that picture, here's another one of the same vine from last year (I think it was last year... maybe the year before...) before the frost got to it and before the pavers were set in place.

I recommend trying to purchase through a local nursery. It doesn't seem to be carried by the Box stores for some reason.

I purchased mine from a nursery in town. Apparently, they spend the first year developing a root system and do not bloom until the second year.

If I had known that at last year, it would have saved me some frustration. I kept thinking it was doing well where I planted it or needed more water/fertilzer. This year its growing quite well and the flowers keep coming!

I hope it gets the attention of some hummers!

The rule with all vines: first year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps. You just have to be patient with vines.

Kate