Major Wheeler Honeysuckle

[GoDawgs]

I planted Major Wheeler a long time ago, thinking the hummers would like it. Wellllll, they're not so fond of it which surprises me. The Major seems to be lacking in the fragrance department. Maybe he's not as tasty as good old wild honeysuckle. Perhaps a demotion is in order.

24.04.22 Major Wheeler honeysuckle.JPG

24.04.22 Major Wheeler blooms.JPG

[PlainJane]

I have one as well, but usually find the hummers going for the salvia or cuphea. Might be because I have only 1 Major Wheeler and tons of the other 2.

[FatBeeFarm]

It sure looks pretty in your photos though. I was just kicking myself two days ago for NOT having Major Wheeler. I planted a bunch of Goldflame honeysuckle because "they" said it would attract hummers, but all it attracts is powdery mildew. I just read Major Wheeler is resistant. I have three other varieties of honeysuckle that also seem resistant, and I like them, especially the native Coral variety, but none of them seem to be where the hummingbirds go either. My hummers love my Tithonia and cardinal flowers, but will also hit many other flowers like petunia, gladiolus, salvia, agastache, etc. They skip the honeysuckle in favor of these.

[MissS]

That is just gorgeous. I have always wanted one but I don't have a good place to grow one. I'm sad to hear that the birds aren't using it because I have heard good things about it. I do know that they can't resist the invasive Trumpet Vine. When the one down the road from me was blooming, I would hardly see a hummingbird until the vine had finished.

[PlainJane]

Yes, on the plus side for Major Wheeler is no mildew. It’s pretty tough and well-behaved in my garden.

[GoDawgs]

Mildew resistance is a huge plus around here! I'd love to grow some Monarda but it's a mildew magnet, even Jacob's.

@MissS, Major Wheeler is a favorite pace for bird nests! All those vines make a great place to stick twigs together.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

I LOVE Major Wheeler. I have one growing on each side of one of my arbors - it's just beautiful when in bloom and blooms all season long. And I love that I can hack the living daylights out of it at the end of the season and it grows like nuts the following year. Being able to really 'prune', which is a much nicer word than how I actually treat it, is a plus as it does grow an insane amount every year. I actually like mine so much, I bought another 2 last year for a different arbor. I like to plant reds around the property for the hummers since they are supposed to like reds, but I've never seen them feed from the MW. The hummers do really like our Viburnum which are just this morning starting to slowly pop into bloom. The scent is amazing!

[GoDawgs]

Mine needs a good pruning as it's bare about half way up from the bottom. I don't think I've ever pruned it. It's time... or maybe way past time!