Lonicera japonica Dart's Acumen

The Lonicera japonica Dart's Acumen is a variety of Japanese Honeysuckle that is very accommodating and easy to grow. Its highly fragrant white-yellow flowering during several months is a delight to the senses on long summer evenings. Its beautiful dark green foliage persists throughout the seasons to varying degrees depending on the severity of winter. This superb climbing variety quickly fills any support available, whether it be a tree, pole, pergola, or fence, without requiring much maintenance or special skills. An ideal plant for beginners!

Honeysuckles are woody plants of the Caprifoliaceae family, which also includes snowberries, well-known for their pretty berries, or the Himalayan Honeysuckle, less common in gardens, and its beautiful flowering followed by curious decorative fruits. The Lonicera genus includes both climbing vines, like the Lonicera japonica, or our native L. periclymenum, as well as bushes (L. maackii, L. nitida, or the precious L. fragrantissima with fragrant winter flowers). The Japanese Honeysuckle is a botanical species native to East Asia (China, Korea, Japan). It can be found in thickets, rocky areas, along the edges of woodlands, and by roadsides. In France, it has naturalized, mainly in the South and West, where it invades hedges. In the wild, this plant shows vigorous growth (up to 10 m (33ft)) that is best suited for larger, somewhat wild spaces.

The 'Dart's Acumen' variety is a more reasonable choice for our gardens, as it will reach approximately 6 m (20ft) in height and 3 m (10ft) in width, despite its rapid growth. Its voluble stems wrap around any available support: fences, trellises, tree branches. They can also effectively cover the ground, as their dense and semi-evergreen foliage (even evergreen in mild climates) leaves little chance for unwanted weeds to grow underneath. The simple leaves, not fused at the base, are oval and acuminate (pointed at their tips), arranged opposite each other. They maintain their beautiful dark green colour throughout the season and provide a true setting for the light, white to yellow flowers. These flowers are the main attraction of this plant, not only for their own beauty, but especially for their fragrance. Tubular, bilabiate, and with protruding stamens, they have a particularly aesthetic delicate appearance. Appearing throughout the summer, from late June to September, they emit a powerful fragrance recognizable from meters away, especially on warm summer evenings, delighting pollinating insects. They are followed by inedible black fruits.
Hardy down to -15°C (5°F) without any problems, this Lonicera thrives in all types of soil, from neutral to acidic or limestone. Its only requirement is that the soil remains moist in summer while being well-drained in winter. It thrives in full sun as well as partial shade, which ultimately means it can find its place in any garden!

Valuable for concealing any unsightly support, from poorly placed poles to old sheds, this remarkable 'Dart's Acumen' honeysuckle can also conquer a tree, a usage still not widely practiced in France despite its great decorative interest. Indeed, there is nothing better to give a wild and natural touch to a garden! It can be paired with other vigorous climbers that can withstand its competition, such as the wonderful Clematis 'Mayleen' with its fragrant pink flowers in May, which will precede the flowering of the honeysuckle. In the presence of such a powerful fragrance, it is advisable to avoid planting another climber with a strong summer fragrance nearby (such as the Star Jasmine), as it is better to opt for spreading rather than confrontation. Among wisterias, there is a low-growing variety that will not suffocate the honeysuckle and whose flowering begins earlier; it is Wisteria venusta, a little-known romantic Japanese wisteria with short and charming clusters (white or pink, depending on the variety).