Lonicera henryi Copper Beauty - Henry's honeysuckle

The Lonicera henryi 'Copper Beauty' is a climbing honeysuckle, it is a evergreen liana with moderately woody branches. It bears yellow-orange to red flowers from late spring to summer, and the large shiny green leaves with bronze and blue reflections highlight this magnificent flowering. Like clematis, this climbing plant requires little maintenance, it thrives with its head in the sun and its feet in the shade, in a rather moist, ordinary soil.

Henry's honeysuckle is a plant from the caprifoliaceae family, native to China. In nature, this plant shows vigorous growth, making it suitable for slightly wild, open spaces. The 'Copper Beauty' variety is a beautiful improvement of this wild species. It stands out for its modest size; it will not exceed 2m (7ft) in height and 1.50m (5ft) in width. Its bronze-coloured young shoots give way to oval-lanceolate, entire, tough and evergreen leaves. The flowering takes place from June to July, the trumpet-shaped flowers are yellow-orange with cream reverses and turn red in summer. They form a beautiful contrast with the foliage, which is dark blue-green with leather-like reflections. The flowering is followed by the formation of small fleshy black-purple berries, which are toxic.

This superb 'Copper Beauty' honeysuckle can be planted in the ground, in any exposure as long as the base remains shaded, but it also lends itself very well to container cultivation. It forms a beautiful association with clematis, on a trellis or fence, wrapping its voluble stems around the support provided. It will delight you with its fragrance on the terrace or near an opening (window, entrance), even in shady situations. It can also be planted in a hedge, alongside flowering shrubs such as lilacs, mock oranges, deutzias, or arbustive ceanothuses. The evergreen foliage allows you to camouflage a wall or fence, even in winter.