Honeysuckle is any one of a family of ornamental shrubs and vines. Most honeysuckles are evergreens, or nearly so. They live in temperate regions throughout the world. All have dark green, oval leaves that are usually quite smooth and grow opposite each other in pairs. Sometimes, the bases of the leaves are united around the stem. In other plants, the woody stem seems to grow through the leaves.
Honeysuckles usually produce many trumpet-shaped flowers. The blossoms of some are small, but all are quite beautiful. Many are fragrant. The colors vary from white, yellow, pink, and purple to bright scarlet. When the petals drop off, red, yellow, white, black, or blue berries form. Many birds eat these berries and carry the seeds away, distributing the plants widely.
Most honeysuckles are hardy and easy to grow. Gardeners raise the plants either from cuttings or from seeds. Honeysuckles grow compactly and seldom need pruning. Bush honeysuckles are grown as shrubs, and some types grow well in rock gardens. Vine honeysuckles are often trained to twine over walls or fences.
Various insects bring pollen to the honeysuckles. The white-flowered kinds lure sphinx moths at night. The bush honeysuckle, with its small yellow blossoms, attracts bees. The coral, or trumpet, honeysuckle has blossoms that are red outside and orange-yellow inside. Hummingbirds like the sweet nectar of these honeysuckle flowers. Some honeysuckles are also called woodbine.
