Lonicera henryi 'Marinella' ('Venloma')

Lonicera 'Marinella' is a hybrid honeysuckle with moderate growth, both bushy and climbing, remarkably floriferous, adorned with beautiful evergreen foliage. It produces a multitude of flowers in shades of pink, apricot, and white, slightly fragrant, from spring to autumn without interruption. This flowering, which occurs along the stems, creates a superb contrast with the foliage and the young brown stems. If left untrained, it forms a gracefully trailing bush, which is very attractive. Naturally, it also wraps around a trellis or a small wire fence. Finally, this lovely variety also adapts very well to pot cultivation, to decorate balconies and terraces.

The 'Venloma' Marinella honeysuckle is a plant from the Caprifoliaceae family. It is a French horticultural creation awarded at the Innovert exhibition in 2022. This honeysuckle is more bushy than truly climbing, although its stems are voluble. It has a moderately fast growth rate and will reach about 3m (10ft) in height and 2m (7ft) in width if not pruned or trained to climb. Its young brown shoots give way to large ovate-lanceolate leaves, entire, leathery, and evergreen in winter. Their colour is a glossy dark green, turning dark brown in autumn and winter if it gets cold. The flowering begins in May and continues continuously until October-November, provided the soil does not dry out too much, of course. The flowers appear along the stems, in the axils of the leaves, on each new shoot produced by the plant. The elongated trumpet-shaped flowers measure about 4cm (2in) long and are gathered in small clusters. Their colour changes from pink and white to orange-yellow. They form a quite striking contrast with the foliage which is dark green with a leathery appearance. The flowering of honeysuckles is visited by bees and butterflies.

This remarkable 'Marinella' 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 pot cultivation. It forms a beautiful combination with clematis, on a trellis or fence, wrapping its voluble stems around the support provided. It will delight you with its generosity on the terrace or near an opening (window, entrance). It can also be installed in a hedge, in the company of flowering shrubs such as lilacs, mock oranges, Deutzias, or with evergreen shrubs such as Mahonias or holly. Its evergreen foliage allows you to create a nice privacy screen, to camouflage a wall or a small fence even in winter.