No, coral honeysuckle does not have a fragrance. The Japanese variety is the one with the fragrance but they are so invasive, they just about everywhere I look. There are hybrids however like 'goldflame' that smell and are sterile so it wont spread around. I believe mail order natives has them for like 6 bucks.

Does anybody have a sucker or a start of a coral honeysuckle I could get for postage? I'd like to give it a try for the hummingbirds. Thanks for any help. Sandy

If you find yourself in the Mobile area you are welcome to take a few cuttings from mine. I bought them from Dodd & Dodd natives. They may still have some.

The only distinction between 'Major Wheeler' and any other selection or cultivar of Lonicera sempervirens is its profuse bloom potential. Doesn't get any bigger or is any more denser than any other L. sempervirens and so should not "overcome" any reasonably sized shrub or tree. But it is important to match the right shrub/tree with the vine. I would suggest the lilacs and forsythias first, then the magnolia. Forget the nandina and the boxwood unless the box is already quite large. And growing a more or less evergreen vine on any conifers is not a great idea. You will shade out the foliage or needles under the vine and cause dieback. It can also encourage foliar diseases due to excessive moisture and lack of air circulation. Stick with larger, well-established deciduous trees and shrubs.