Lonicera japonica Sweet Isabel

The Lonicera japonica 'Sweet Isabel' is a variety of Japanese honeysuckle that stands out for its compact habit and its highly fragrant flowering, abundant from summer to autumn! It is a small climbing plant whose twining stems reach 3m (10ft) in all directions very quickly, making it suitable for small spaces and container gardening. Its small, evergreen foliage allows it to provide coverage on structures and trellises throughout the year. Its flowering begins in June with a profusion of tubular flowers in white, then cream and yellow, with long protruding stamens, filling the garden with its powerful fruity fragrance until September. Clusters of small blue-black berries follow, adding a lovely touch to its vegetation. This undemanding climbing bush requires some light for flowering and a location with moist and well-drained soil.

The Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica in Latin, is a climbing and woody plant, more or less evergreen, belonging to the caprifoliaceae family. This species, which is very easy to grow in all regions, is native to East Asia. In nature, this plant shows vigorous growth, making it suitable for larger, somewhat wild spaces.

The 'Sweet Isabel' variety stands out for its compact habit, evergreen foliage, and generous flowering of yellow-white flowers with a fruity fragrance. With its rapid growth, this honeysuckle will reach approximately 3m (10ft) in all directions. Its long stems twine around any supports they encounter, but they can also crawl and create ground cover. The leaves are simple, ovate, and pointed, thick, heavily veined, arranged in opposite pairs. They are a fairly dark green color, slightly glossy. From June to September, a multitude of 4cm (2in) tubular flowers appear, grouped in clusters at the axils of the leaves. Divided into two lips, they display prominent stamens and change colour from white to cream and yellow as they fade. This flowering, with its sweet and penetrating fragrance, attracts numerous pollinating insects, especially bees and bumblebees, followed in the evening by moths such as Sphinx moths. After pollination, the flowers produce small fleshy berries with a shiny dark purple-black color, which are not edible but highly sought after by birds.

This generous 'Sweet Isabel' honeysuckle can be planted in the ground, away from direct sunlight, with the base shaded; it will be very comfortable, for example, near the trunk of an old tree, between its large roots, as long as it has a good pocket of compost at planting time. Otherwise, consider planting ground cover plants such as geraniums or hypericums in front of it, protecting it from overheating and drying out. It is naturally perfect for covering anything that needs to be hidden: fences, trellises, or sheds, as long as it has a support structure. It is less known for its ability to twine around very narrow supports, transforming even the smallest pole into a vegetated column. It can also be allowed to spread on the ground, in a slightly wild area of the garden. It forms a beautiful combination with clematis, Virginia creeper, ivy, or golden hops. It also fits well into a hedge, alongside flowering shrubs such as lilacs, mock orange, deutzias, or shrubby ceanothus. If you enjoy its fragrance, plant it near the terrace or a window. Its evergreen foliage allows you to camouflage a wall or fence even in winter.