Brown's honeysuckle 'Dropmore Scarlet'

Synonyms: red honeysuckle Dropmore Scarlet, Brown's honeysuckle Dropmore Scarlet

Brown's honeysuckle Dropmore Scarlet (Lonicera brownii Dropmore Scarlet) is a striking cultivar of Brown's honeysuckle. It is a hybrid between L. Sempervirens and L. Hirsuta, bred by the breeder Frank L. Skinner at the Dropmore (Manitoba, Canada) experimental station and introduced into cultivation in the 1950s.

It is a weakly twining deciduous shrub 2-3 (5) m in height and 1.5-2 m in width. In youth it grows slowly, later faster. Young shoots are greenish-blue, with a reddish tint on the sun-exposed side.

Leaves are opposite, elliptic in shape, 6-8 (10) cm long, dark green on the upper side and green-blue beneath. The upper pair of leaves is almost round, fused around the stem.

Flowers are tubular, bright red or bright orange, up to 4.5 cm long. Petal tips are orange, the corolla orange or dark yellow; stamens and pistil protrude beyond the tips of the leaves, the stigma is yellow-green. Flowers grow several together in clusters. Blooms abundantly from June to September. Repeat flowering in October is often observed.

Fruits – small spherical juicy red berries with numerous seeds inside.

Hardiness zone: 3-7 (to -40°С). In winter slight freezing of shoots is possible, which then quickly recover. Flowers can tolerate return frosts down to -8°С.

Location: Sun-loving, but can tolerate partial shade. Undemanding to soil (tolerates a wide pH range from 3.9 to 7.7), but flowers well on slightly acidic and neutral soils (pH 5.5-6.5). Moisture-loving, but does not tolerate waterlogging.

Pruning: In the first 5-7 years perform only sanitary pruning; in subsequent years the crown becomes dense, so rejuvenation pruning is recommended in autumn after leaf fall or in spring in March-April. The aging part of the crown should be cut above the point where large basal shoots originate by 30-50 cm. For fundamental rejuvenation of the crown, severe pruning «to a stump» is applied at a height of 0.5 m from the ground.

Planting: Transplants well at almost any age. Planting is recommended in late autumn. Plants with a closed root system can be planted from spring until late autumn. Recommended spacing between plants is 1.5-2 m. Soil mix: topsoil, humus, peat or sand in ratio 3:1:1. The root collar at ground level. Planting pit depth 25-30 cm, diameter – 25 cm for 2-3 year-old bushes; for 5-7 year-old plants the depth and diameter of the pit reach 50 cm. When planting you can add 5-7 kg of manure, 50-80 g of superphosphate and 40-50 g of potassium salt per plant. Drainage layer of broken brick or gravel 5-7 cm thick. Do not cut branches at planting; this is done in spring before strong bud swelling. For spring planting branches are cut immediately.

Care: Needs a sturdy support. Young shoots are trained on the support, evenly distributed over its surface (note that honeysuckle twines counterclockwise). Upon reaching the desired height, the top of the vine is cut, allowing lateral shoots to develop. Responsive to feeding and watering. In the first 2 years it is recommended to fertilize with nitrogen in spring. Dissolve 30 g (a matchbox) of urea or ammonium nitrate in 10 l of water and water with 1-1.5 l per plant. Watering can be done as foliar application, providing both root and foliar feeding. Such feedings can be done from the start of the growing season every 2 weeks until mid-June. With abundant mineral feeding serial (reserve) buds may open, from which additional shoots appear and thicken the crown.

Diseases and pests: Practically not affected by diseases or pests.

Propagation: Propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. Green cuttings should be taken at the end of flowering (early July). Each cutting should have 2 internodes. Remove the lower leaves and shorten the upper ones by half. Plant them in a shaded greenhouse at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other to a depth of 2-3 mm and cover with glass. Soil mix: peat, coarse-grained sand and garden soil in ratio 2:2:1. Spraying 2-3 times a day is also necessary. Once leaves appear the glass can be removed. In winter cuttings should be mulched with peat, and in spring they can be transplanted to a permanent place. The rooting rate of cuttings without pretreatment is 50%.

Seed propagation is a longer process. Seeds are collected at the end of July, cleaned of pulp, washed and dried. Seeds are stored at room temperature. After storage of 0.5; 1.2 and 3 years the germination percentage is 85; 71.5; 71.4 % respectively. After 4 years germination decreases to 36%, and after 5 years – only 6%. For propagation by this method a two-stage stratification is used: I - at 2 0 °С for 1 - 2 months, II - at 5°С for 1 - 2 months. Seed germination is slow; at 20° (50% of seeds germinate in 1.5-3 months). Depth of sowing seeds is 0.9-1 cm.

Usage: Widely used for vertical landscaping of low structures. Combines well with climbing roses, deciduous and coniferous shrubs.

Companions: reddening miscanthus, shchuchka, poppies, lupins, roses, cypress spurge, hawkweed,