Cape Honeysuckle Is All Confused. Or Is It?

Q. Our cape honeysuckle has done well, even bloomed during the past winters. But this time of year it always stops blooming. Is there something I should be doing or not doing to keep it flowering through the summer?

Its winter for cryin out loud. Why are you in bloom, ag shame?

A. Cape honeysuckle is from South Africa, below the equator, so it's bloom time is the opposite of ours; blooms in the winter and not during the summer. Another plant from South Africa, African sumac, does the same thing.

No flowers now. Must be spring or jost sommer.

            Cape honeysuckle is a great plant for the dry desert because it is not as invasive here as it can be in wet climates. The only drawback is it being winter tender at temperatures around 25 degrees F.

            Watch for freezing damage during particularly cold winters or in cold landscape microclimates. Much like Bougainvillea, if the base is protected with mulch during the winter it will grow back again from the protected base.