General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Partial or Dappled Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 6 - 20 feet
Plant Spread: 1 - 2 feet
Leaves: Deciduous
Fruit: Showy
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Bi-Color: coral and yellow
Bloom Size: 1"-2"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Other: Deadheading flowers ensures more flowering throughout the season.
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Toxicity: Fruit is poisonous
Other: The berries are mildly toxic
Pollinators: Various insects

Image
Common names
  • Coral Honeysuckle
  • Trumpet Honeysuckle

Photo Gallery
Location: IL
Date: 2015-07-13
#Pollination Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Co
Location: Long Island, NY 
Date: 2013-05-25
Location: Des Plaines, IL
Date: mid-July, afternoon
Location: NJ
Date: 2019-08-03
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Location: My garden in Southeast Virginia
Date: JUNE
BLOOM
Location: Zone 5b, Chicago suburbs
Date: June 20, 2021
Location: NJ
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-07-09
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2022-06-03
Location: all photos from my garden
Date: 2015-06-18
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-06-03
June in zone 5b
Location: Beautiful Tennessee/my back yard
Date: may 14, 2015
Location: Tennessee
courtesy Sunlight Gardens, www.sunlightgardens.com
Location: My garden in Southeast Virginia
Date: 2014-04-23
Location: My garden in Southeast Virginia
Date: 2014-04-23
Photo by Hamwild
Location: Central Kansas (Zone 6b)
Date: 2014-06-21
Receives full sun all day
Location: Maryland
Date: 2016-05-01
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2022-09-21
Location: IL
Date: 2015-06-01
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-25
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-25
Location: central Illinois
Date: 6-13-15
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-09-27
First year bloom.

Courtesy Crownsville Nursery
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-29
Emerging growth after first flowering.
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-09-09
Photo by Hazelcrestmikeb
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-24
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-25
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2016-06-01
Location: Beautiful Tennessee 
Date: 4-13-2014
ready to open
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2021-10-07
Planting Fall 2021 at rural cabin Central TX in sandy soil along
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2014-06-13
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2014-06-13
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-06-17
Two years old, planted from 5" pot. Can grow 6" or more in one da

Date: 2013-02-17
Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic

 Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2022-09-21
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2022-08-17
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-09-23
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-05-15
Location: Silver Spring, MD
Date: 2014-07-01
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-10-08
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-09-23
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-09-23
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-03-16
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-06-25
Location: Maryland
Date: 2015-06-05
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2014-10-12
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-05-04
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-05-04
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-08-16
Location: Maryland
Date: 2015-04-29
First blossom of the season!

Photo courtesy of Brushwood Nursery
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-05-15
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2018-05-15
Second season, May
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2015-04-25
2nd year.

Photo courtesy of Brushwood Nursery

Photo courtesy of Brushwood Nursery
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-10-08
Growing in a container to keep the rabbits from chewing on it
Photo by Hamwild
Photo by Hamwild
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-01-15
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-09-23
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-10-08
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2012-10-08
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
Location: Central Kansas (Zone 6b)
Date: 2014-06-21
Receives full sun all day
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-05-20
Spring growth, young plant.
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-02-23
leaves in winter
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-11-11
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-11-11
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2017-04-26
Location: Long Island, NY 
Date: 2013-08-31
Location: English Gardens, West Bloomfield, MI
Date: 2016-06-29
This plant is tagged in:
Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image

Comments:
  • Posted by Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Sep 4, 2013 12:28 PM concerning plant:
    By far my favorite trumpet honeysuckle. I really love the fact that it is especially long blooming. While other honeysuckles have their season of blooming, Major Wheeler blooms from spring to fall.
  • Posted by critterologist (Frederick, MD - Zone 6b) on Jun 21, 2018 2:15 PM concerning plant:
    There's something really eye-catching about this variety, maybe its deep red blooms, maybe its healthy looking dense green foliage, maybe the hummingbirds circling like planes coming into O'Hare. OK, so I've only seen 2 hummers on it at a time, but it's still one of their favorites (and mine). I've bought 2 of them. One overwintered in a pot on the deck last winter (and it was one of our colder winters here in zone 6b) and is doing more than merely "creeping" in the ground this year, so I expect it to explode when it "leaps" next year. The new one has grown from 6" to 2 ft. just this spring and started blooming.
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 24, 2014 9:09 AM concerning plant:
    Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) 'Major Wheeler' is a larval host plant to the Spring Azure Butterfly and the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. An excellent source of nectar, it has special value to bumble bees and attracts hummingbirds. Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' produces bright red flowers in the late spring and early summer. Its autumn fruit attracts a variety of birds, including Quail, Purple Finch, Goldfinch, Hermit Thrush, and the American Robin. Its value to bees and birds makes Lonicera sempervirens a very useful addition to the garden for pollinator lovers and lovers of wildlife.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Mar 7, 2013 11:41 PM concerning plant:
    Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler') was introduced by High Country Gardens (Santa Fe, NM) in 2010.

    It has been one of their best sellers continuously since the introduction!
    In 2012 I finally got around to finding a nice sturdy metal trellis and bought this wonderful hummingbird plant from HCG.
    Worried that the Eastern Cottontail rabbits would chew it all up, I decided to grow it in a 20-inch container with the trellis leaning up next to it. So far, it has done well. The wild rabbits haven't chewed on it and it did bloom some in its first year.
    I'm really looking forward to attracting the hummers this year (it blooms late spring through the end of summer)!
    The flowers will be blooming more profusely the second year and will have a longer season of blooming!
    I love it and am so happy I got it to grow yearly! Hummingbirds definitely are attracted to the flowers!
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Mar 14, 2012 2:02 PM concerning plant:
    'Major Wheeler' has clusters of deep scarlet-red, 2" long, tubular flowers with yellow insides. Big red berries persist in fall and early winter. It is loaded with flowers from late spring on into the fall.

    The plant is highly mildew resistant, the semi-evergreen leaves looking good all season long.

    Coral Honeysuckle is best in full sun and average soil, but it would also do well in light shade.

    This vine attracts hummingbirds. The plant is very choice, and it is not overly aggressive.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Sep 2, 2012 11:26 PM concerning plant:
    I've been wanting to grow this plant for years, as I've read that it's a great plant for attracting hummingbirds. I finally found a trellis that I liked this year and because I figured the wild rabbits would chew it to the ground, I decided to plant it in a 20" container with the trellis slightly leaning next to it.

    It's blooming a little in its first year and the hummers are drawn to it, but I know next year it will grow and bloom even better! Can't wait to get an earlier start attracting hummers in the spring!

    Year 2014: it's looking great! Lots of flowers and I deadhead every chance I get to keep the flowers coming for Hummers.

Plant Events from our members
Catmint20906 On April 15, 2016 Bloomed
Catmint20906 On April 29, 2015 Bloomed
flaflwrgrl On April 13, 2015 Bloomed
SkirtGardener On April 4, 2019 Obtained plant
» Post your own event for this plant

« Add a new plant to the database

» Search the Honeysuckles Database: by characteristics or by cultivar name

« See the general plant entry for Honeysuckles (Lonicera)

« The Honeysuckles Database Front Page

« The Plants Database Front Page

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.