John Clayton Honeysuckle
Commonly called trumpet honeysuckle, the John Clayton Honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens) is a vigorous, deciduous, twining vine that typically grows 10-15 feet tall and is one of the showiest of the vining honeysuckles.
Lonicera John Clayton is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained, organically rich soils with good drainage. It will tolerate some shade, but best flowering is in full sun. This is a twining vine that needs a support structure upon which to grow unless you want it to sprawl as a ground cover. Prune as needed immediately after flowering.
It is primarily native to the southeastern U.S. but has escaped from gardens and naturalized in many other areas of the eastern U.S. including several counties in central and southern Missouri where it typically occurs along roadsides, along stream banks, and in thickets. Lonicera John Clayton provides large, non-fragrant, narrow, trumpet-shaped flowers that are yellow on the outside and yellowish inside. Flowers appear in late spring at stem ends in whorled clusters and are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The red berries that form in late summer to early fall are ornamental in inedible to human, but attractive to birds. Oval, bluish-green leaves are glaucous beneath.
This vine is evergreen in the warm winter climates of the deep South. Lonicera John Clayton is a yellow-flowered variety that was found in 1991 in woodlands on the grounds of a 17th-century church in Gloucester, Virginia. Its namesake, John Clayton (1694-1773) was a colonial botanist and plant collector from Gloucester County.
Lonicera John Clayton Honeysuckle is Native to North America and not to be confused with the Japanese honeysuckle which can be quite invasive.
